On July 4, the super-panamax 7,500 CEU liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered PCTC (pure car and track carrier) “Minjiangkou”, which was developed and designed by Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI) under CSSC, and constructed by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding under Fujian Shipbuilding Industry, was formally christened and delivered.
It is the first PCTC built in the 158-year history of Mawei Shipbuilding, and another masterpiece of its implementation of scientific and technological innovation, transformation and upgrading strategy, which adds green and new kinetic energy for domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers and carriers to establish and upgrade the global supply chain of vehicles, and further consolidates the position of China Shipbuilding Industry in the field of development of global high-end PCTCs.
With an overall length of about 199.90 meters, a beam of 38.00 meters and a design draft of 8.65 meters, Minjiangkou has a loading capacity of 7,500 cars. It has a total of 13 car decks, of which 9 are fixed decks and 4 are movable decks, and the decks are connected to each other by fixed/movable ramps, making loading flexible and efficient.
The LNG tanks are forward of the nacelle below the 5th deck, the MGO storage compartment is located at the head of the garage, the HFO compartment is at the bottom of the double deck, and the empty compartment above the LNG tanks is reserved for future use as an HFO compartment.
The upper decks (11th deck and above) can carry hydrogen-fueled and natural gas-fueled cars, and all decks can carry lithium battery cars. Two decks of crew living quarters and pilothouse are arranged forward of the top deck. The aft and side doors are on the starboard side of the 5th deck and the air draft (measured to baseline) does not exceed 46m.
The propulsion system of this PCTC is of single engine and single propeller design, adopting LNG+MGO/HFO dual-fuel hybrid main engine, which can greatly reduce gas emissions such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and carbon dioxide during operation. It complies with the IMO Tier III emission standards and is a green, intelligent, environmentally friendly and efficient car carrier.
It is understood that the orders for this series of PCTCs developed by SDARI total 16 units, which are built by Mawei Shipbuilding and Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry (XSI) respectively. Recently, SDARI has signed another design contract with Mawei Shipbuilding and XSI for 4+4 5500 CEU LNG dual-fuel powered PCTCs.
It is worth mentioning that in 2021, the 7,500 CEU LNG-powered PCTC “SIEM CONFUCIUS”, the first PCTC designed by SDARI and built by XSI, has also won the “Shippax Ro-Ro Technology & Environment Award” in 2021, a professional forum for the ro-ro vessels in the world. It is reported that the Shippax Awards, founded in 1999, are the most authoritative and prestigious awards in the global ferry, ro-ro vessel and cruise industry, and are known as the “Oscars” of the industry.
At present, SDARI has successfully developed 5500 CEU, 7000 CEU, 7500 CEU, 7600 CEU, 7800 CEU, 8600 CEU, 9000 CEU, 9400 CEU, 10800 CEU and other new series of green, environmentally friendly, energy-saving and safe PCTCs. These PCTCs have received orders for nearly 140 units, with a global market share of more than 60%, ranking the first in the world.