Car Carrier News

The Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of Grande Pacifico, the 13th ammonia ready car carrier in the Grimaldi Group fleet and the first of five sister PCTCs vessels ordered from China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu and classed by RINA.An evolution of the design that gave rise to the first five 9,000 CEU vessels already delivered by the same shipyard, the new units offer even greater cargo capacity while maintaining high energy efficiency, technological innovation and environmental sustainability.With an overall length of 220 meters…

EUKOR Car Carriers, SIPG Energy, and World Fuel have successfully completed the first green methanol bunkering of M/V Arctic Tern, the first vessel in the new Shaper Class series of car carriers, at the Port of Shanghai.The operation involved the delivery of 2,800 MT of green methanol to Arctic Tern via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy's methanol bunkering vessel M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, the largest vessel of its kind in operation. The bunkering operation was carried out at Haitong Terminal…

NYK has commenced a one-year long-term trial involving the continuous use of 100% biofuel (“B100”) on an NYK-operated car carrier. The initiative is designed to evaluate the fuel’s effects on the vessel’s equipment and verify operational safety under real-world conditions. Through this effort, NYK seeks to accumulate technical expertise that will support the broader use of high-purity biofuels and further accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.Amid growing global demand for decarbonization…

NYK has commenced a one-year long-term trial involving the continuous use of 100% biofuel (B100) on an NYK-operated car carrier.The biofuel primarily comprises Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) derived from used cooking oil and similar feedstocks.The initiative is designed to evaluate the fuel’s effects on the vessel’s equipment and verify operational safety under real-world conditions.Amid growing global demand for decarbonization, the shipping industry has been actively introducing alternative fuels that contribute to reducing GHG emissions.

The Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of the new PCTC Grande Seoul.Built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSTC) – both part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) – the vessel is the Italian group’s ninth ammonia-ready unit.With a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tonnes, the Grande Seoul has been designed for the efficient transport of vehicles (cars, SUVs, vans, etc.), both electric and powered by traditional fuels, as well as any other type of rolling cargo.

NYK and NYK Ship management Pte. Ltd. (NYKSM) conducted a drill on October 17 that simulated a response to an accident off the coast of Okinawa Island.The exercise featured a scenario in which a fire broke out in the cargo hold of a car carrier owned and operated by NYK and managed by NYKSM. During firefighting operations, the vessel also collided with a small craft. This drill was part of the "Remember Naka-no-Se" safety promotion campaign and was executed in close cooperation with external stakeholders…

Sallaum Lines announced the successful early delivery of the MV Ocean Breeze, a next-generation LNG dual-fuel Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) built by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in China. The vessel was delivered on July 18, four months ahead of schedule.This delivery marks a significant deepening of the partnership between Europe’s leading automotive RORO carrier and China’s advanced maritime manufacturing sector. It also highlights the key role of Chinese financial institutions in supporting sustainable shipping…

On June 20, NYK arranged an inspection of one of its car carriers for representatives from the Tokyo Fire Department, Yokohama City Fire Bureau, and local cargo-handling companies to examine the car carrier's structure and firefighting equipment, as well as discuss fire-response procedures. The event was attended by over 40 participants.In recent years, there has been a worldwide increase in fire accidents involving car carriers. In response, NYK is strengthening fire-prevention measures by establishing transportation guidelines that accommodate next-generation vehicles (e.g.…

The world's largest car carrier making its maiden voyage is generally cause for celebration. But in the case of Chinese car manufacturer BYD and its mammoth new BYD Shenzhen -- a 16,300 dwt, 9200 CEU, LNG Dual-Fuel PCTC that measures 219.9 x 37.7m with a 9.2m draft -- the ship instead represents the flooding of a market with cheap electric vehicles (EVs).The world's largest car-carrying ship - with the equivalent of 20 football fields of vehicles - completed its maiden journey late last month to dock in Brazil's Itajai port.BYD…

Operators of hulking car carriers are seeking relief from the U.S. Trade Representative's surprise plan to levy port fees on all foreign-built ships in that segment, including 20 vessels that guarantee transport for the U.S. military during a war or national emergency, three sources told Reuters.USTR announced the fees on April 17 as part of an ongoing effort to hit certain China-linked ships calling at U.S. ports with fees that would fund a domestic shipbuilding revival and counter China's dominance on the high seas.The fees sent a shockwave through the vehicle carrier industry…

Car-carrying ships have sent more cargo from Europe and China, Japan and Korea to the United States in the first months of the year than last year, shipping data showed, in a sign of companies front-loading shipments ahead of looming tariffs.A total of 33 so-called roll on, roll off ships - designed for wheeled cargo and mostly carrying new cars - left Europe for the U.S. in February this year, up from 28 in February 2024, according to data analytics firm Esgian, which monitors shipping routes and ports worldwide.Those ships will have been able to carry around 30…

Friday & Co. Shipbrokers completed a chartering deal between Boskalis and a Chinese charterer to transport the car carrier Floor (formerly Fremantle Highway) from the Netherlands to China. The project entails transporting the vessel — damaged by fire last year — aboard Boskalis' semi-submersible heavy lift flagship, the Boka Vanguard, for repairs and modifications in Asia.Fremantle Highway, en route from Bremerhaven to Singapore in 2023, encountered a fire in the North Sea but was ultimately saved and docked in Rotterdam.

On July 24, Freesia Leader, the fifth LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) operated by NYK, arrived at the port of Nagoya for a commemorative delivery ceremony.After arriving at the Port of Nagoya, the vessel received LNG fuel from Kaguya, an LNG-bunkering ship operated by Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corporation, a joint venture owned by NYK and other companies.The 200-meter, 71,846GT Freesia Leader can carry 7,000 units and will be engaged in the transportation of finished…

The Unified Command consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and Gallagher Marine Systems has successfully concluded shipboard fire response operations at Port Newark and is transitioning to the investigation and salvage operations.The Grimaldi cargo vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio caught fire Wednesday night around 9:30PM at the Port of Newark, an incident in which two firefighters died Thursday. As of the morning of July 11…

Oslo-listed car carrier operator Gram Car Carriers has secured three-year time charter contracts for the distribution vessels "City of Oslo" and "Viking Odessa with a "leading European operator." Each vessel has the capacity to carry up to 2,000 cars.The dayrate is USD 27,750 per day for each vessel, and the contract adds approximately $61 million of future revenue to the contract backlog. The new contracts will start during the second quarter of 2023.Georg A. Whist, the CEO of GCC, commented: "We continue to sign long-term contracts reflecting favorable car shipping market fundamentals and are now pleased to see the strong demand and…

The world’s first Digital Smart Ship (DSS)On October 28, 2020, NYK took delivery of Sakura Leader, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) capable of navigating oceans with only LNG as the ship’s main fuel. This delivery marks a step toward achieving NYK’s environment management target, which is to reduce CO2 emissions per ton-kilometer of transport by 50% by 2050. The vessel was built at the Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.The ship is the first large LNG-fueled PCTC to be built in Japan.

COVID-19 has hit the vehicle carrier market hard. The world vehicle demand has dropped by c.35%. Consequently, shipping these vehicles has fallen considerably.The only order to take place earlier this year is one from NYK line for a large LCTC for $95 million.No deals have taken place since the beginning of the year, this is a figure we have not seen historically. A break of five months on the S&P side of things in the Vehicle carrier market. One of the main reasons for this low period and a fall in the values is the drop in rates for the 6…

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen KK expects the coronavirus pandemic to reduce its recurring profit by 50-60 billion yen ($464 million-$557 million) for the year to next March, an executive said on Monday."Our assumption is that the worst impact from the pandemic will be seen in the April-June quarter, with economic activity slowly picking up after that," Toru Maruyama, a corporate officer at Nippon Yusen, told a news conference.Global container demand, which is currently down more than 20%…

Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) and Australian TT-Line Company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on two fast car and passenger ferries.The Project will have an impact on employment totalling around 3,500 person-years, and the construction work will start at the beginning of 2021, said a press release from the company specialized in constructing car ferries, icebreakers and naval vessels.”We are proud and grateful of the trust TT-Line Company has shown us. We believe that with this new partnership, we can serve our customer in a way that results in a world-class car and passenger ferry solution for TT-Line Company’s business.

German shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) shipyard will not build TT-Line Company Pty Ltd's new Spirit of Tasmania vessels.The Australian shipping company TT-Line cancelled the order at FSG for the construction of two ferries, said a statement from the shipyard.The cancellation of the orders 778 and 779 for TT-Line is by mutual agreement after constructive and objective discussions between the management and owners of FSG and the management of TT-Line.Alex Gregg-Smith, Managing Director of FSG said, “This decision has been taken with the mutual consent of all parties concerned and is part of our reorientation of FSG as we focus on building high-quality products on time and on budget.”

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has ordered two liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers with  with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding backed by long-term contracts with Malaysia's energy giant Petronas.The 12-year contract to charter them to Petronas starts in 2022, with an option for an extension for a further 12 years.The two vessels will be built by Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding , a wholly owned subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the largest shipbuilding group in China,  for delivery in the second quarter of 2022, K Line said.These two vessels will be equipped with X-DF engine, which is dual-fuel engine which uses gas admitted at low pressure.Since the delivery of S.S.

Japanese shipping and logistics company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has placed an order to build a second LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) with Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co.The shipbuilding contract was signed at NYK’s head office on January 31. The vessel is scheduled to be delivered in 2022 and will become NYK’s second LNG-fueled PCTC."With this new vessel, NYK will be able to provide more customers with a low-carbon transportation mode, and the company will continue its efforts to reduce its environmental load and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society," said the shipping company.It said that NYK…

The  container logistics company A.P. Moller - Maersk has embarked on a journey that covers the end-to-end logistics of first-ever Sri Lankan made electric supercar Vega EVX that will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2020 later this year in March.The car built in Colombo, started its journey from the Vega Innovations workshop in the heart of the city and is currently en route Port Rotterdam in the Netherlands from where it will continue all the way to Geneva, Switzerland.Maersk, with a legacy as a conglomerate within transport and energy, is transforming to become an integrated container logistics company.From operating eight different divisions with a big corporate layer on top…