The Chinese Jiangnan Shipyard has handed over what's said to be the world's first dual-fuel battery hybrid pure car and truck carrier (PCTC).

The 169 by 29 m vessel offers room for 3,600 vehicles across ten decks. Auto Advance's two sister ships are to set sail in 2022.

UECC, DNV, and the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (Jiangnan Shipyard's in-house ship designer) have designed the series.

The ship's dual-fuel engine - able to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), bioLNG, synthetic LNG, and biofuel - has been combined with an energy storage system (ESS). WE Tech supplied the latter, including a battery package from Corvus Energy, charged by a permanent magnet, directly driven shaft generator, or dual-fuelled generators.

The ESS, which will provide power to the main switchboard with a DC link for power distribution, will enable peak shaving for the main engine and auxiliaries to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. A controllable pitch propeller, bulb rudder, and dual-fuel boiler will also form part of the power system.

The newbuilds "[...] will require only two auxiliary dual-fuel gensets, in addition to the main engine, as the ESS and shaft generator provide a spinning reserve to eliminate the need for another genset that would normally be required," the shipping company says in a press release.

UECC also says the ESS will likely pay itself back in five years.

Having DNV's Battery Safety notation, the hybrid solution will be steered by an intelligent energy management system provided by Kongsberg Maritime. "Batteries can be most efficiently charged while at sea using the shaft generator so that they are fully charged when entering port, enabling the vessel to manoeuvre in port using bow thrusters driven solely by battery power that can also supply the ship's other energy needs while it is docked," reads the press release.

The newbuilds will also be equipped to connect to shore power.

"Having brought into operation the first-ever dual-fuel LNG PCTCs five years ago, UECC is now taking delivery of the first of three of the world's first dual-fuel LNG battery hybrid PCTC to be built. This is another big step forward in eco-friendly ship operations that shows we walk the talk," Glenn Edvardsen, Chief Executive, UECC, sums up.

Photo: UECC