Wärtsilä Hybrid Propulsion System will future-proof 11 new Eastern Pacific PCTC vessels
Finnish technology corporation Wärtsilä will supply Singapore-based group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, with hybrid propulsion systems for eleven new Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels.
The fleet is currently under construction, at the Jingling and Weihai shipyards in China’s Jiangsu and Shandong provinces respectively. Each of the 200 metre-long, 18,600 DWT vessels will have a draft of 10 metres, a width or beam of 38 metres, and an overall length (LOA) of 199.90 metres. They will also each be capable of carrying 7,050 cars at a time, with 59,000 square metres of deck area. The first ship of the fleet is expected to be delivered early in 2023, and more will be rolled out through 2024 and 2025.
The hybrid propulsion system to be supplied by Wärtsilä, will include in-line shaft generators, converters, an energy storage system, and an innovative energy management system for controlling the hybrid operations. The hybrid propulsion system optimises fuel efficiency, and minimises emissions. A dual-fuel system also allows for future-proofing of the future fleet, by facilitating their adaptation to technological shifts down the line, whether in the form of alternative fuels, greater battery capacity, solar panels or fuel cell operation, all of which can be integrated as needed.
This order is in line with Eastern Pacific Shipping’s intention to lower carbon emissions, as part of the industry’s larger energy transition goals. Electrification of shipping is also a step in the direction of zero emission shipping. Furthermore, there has been an uptick in PCTCs Roll on/ Roll off (Ro/Ro) vessels being used to transport out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo. Indeed, their capacity ranges are often higher than required for cars and other such machinery, providing flexibility.
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