VW charter highlights LNG potential for PCTCs
The automobile company will charter two LNG-fuelled vessels from Siem Car Carriers from 2019, replacing two of its nine-strong chartered fleet carrying vessels between Europe and North America. The 200m loa vessels (36m beam) will have capacity for around 4,500 vehicles, retaining cargo capacity by placing the 3,000m3 LNG tanks below the 12 decks.
The new ships will each be powered by a 12,600kW dual-fuel engine from Volkswagen subsidiary MAN Diesel & Turbo. The engine designer declined to reveal which engine model will be installed at this stage, other than to say they will be two-stroke engines. The engines will feature exhaust gas after-treatment to reduce NOx emissions.
Volkswagen noted that the new vessels will cut CO2 emissions per ship by up to 25%, NOx by up to 30%, particulate matter by up to 60% and SOx by up to 100%. The company said it is considering the use of LNG-fuelled ro-ro car carriers on other routes.
Thomas Zernechel, head of group logistics, Volkswagen Group, said: “The possibility of changing other vehicle transport vessels chartered by Volkswagen over to LNG operation will depend on the availability of the necessary infrastructure.”
A proposal by Siem Car Carriers to use the new LNG-fuelled vessels was ‘convincing in economic and environmental terms’, Volkswagen added. The ship owner is currently in negotiations with shipyards to determine where the new vessels will be built.
The new ships will be among the first LNG-fuelled PCTCs, following the recent delivery of the first of two such vessels to United European Car Carriers, destined for operation in the Baltic Sea. Volkswagen, which has been a member of the Clean Shipping Network since 2014, will therefore be among the first automobile makers to employ LNG-powered marine transport.
