New LNG battery hybrid vessel in traffic at the Port of Gothenburg

A newly built ship with special environmental and climate characteristics was christened at the Port of Gothenburg on Wednesday. The vessel in question is an LNG/battery hybrid ship that already today meets IMO's 2030 target for shipping's carbon dioxide efficiency. The vessel will call at the Port of Gothenburg every week.

The short sea shipping line UECC started a new service to the Port of Gothenburg in April, in the light of new contracts with some major European vehicle manufacturers. Vehicles and other rolling cargo is transported to end from Zeebrugge via the ports of Drammen and Esbjerg. By way of transhipment in Zeebrugge, the traffic can be connected to other ports in Europe and the world. The service reaches the Port of Gothenburg every week.

Now UECC has put a completely new ship into the service, and on Wednesday the ship was ceremonially christened at the Port of Gothenburg. The vessel, now named Auto Achieve, is an approximately 170 meter long vessel with the capacity to transport 3,600 cars on ten decks, as well as other types of heavier vehicles and project cargo.

Meets IMO:s 2030 target
Auto Achieve is propelled by LNG (liquid natural gas) combined with battery hybrid technology, which improves operational efficiency and further reduce emissions through peak shaving, in addition to handling partial accommodation load and driving auxiliary equipment. Already today, the vessel’s fuel efficiency meets IMO:s 2030 target of a 40% reduction in carbon intensity*.

“Imminent regulatory changes are shifting the market landscape in favour of green-focused players and these newbuilds represent timely and sizeable investments that offer our clients a sustainable shipping solution with both environmental and cost benefits,” said UECC CEO Glenn Edvardsen as the last in this series of vessels was launched from Jiangnan in China Shipyard earlier this autumn.

According to UECC, Auto Achieve enables a carbon dioxide emissions reduction of around 25%, SOx and particulate matter by 90% and NOx by 85% from the use of LNG. She is also adaptable for low-carbon fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic fuels as these become available.

Auto Achieve calls at the Port of Gothenburg's rail connected vehicle and ro-ro-terminal, where the terminal operator Logent Ports and terminals handles loading and unloading. Via the port of Gothenburg, the entire Swedish market is then effectively reached through the well-developed railway system Railport Scandinavia.

“The Port of Gothenburg is the guarantor of Swedish industry's access to the world and UECC:s service is very important in our ambition to constantly reach more ports and increase the traffic frequency. The fact that this takes place with the absolute latest ship technology is of course a very big advantage and important for the goods owners who demand efficient and climate-smart transport solutions,” says Claes Sundmark, VP Sales and Marketing at the Gothenburg Port Authority.

Fact File: Auto Achieve
Car Capacity: 3,580
Service Speed: 17.8 kn
Length Overall: 169.10 m
Breadth: 28 m
Maximum Draft 8.60 m

About UECC:
UECC was founded in 1990 and is jointly owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Wallenius Lines. The UECC head office is located in Oslo, Norway. UECC operates a fleet of 17 pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) designed to meet the necessary flexibility and efficiency requirements of the short sea market.

* Carbon intensity is a measure developed by the international maritime authority IMO. Carbon intensity measures climate efficiency based on CO2 emissions per transported ton of goods.