Swedish owner and investor Wallenius Lines has acquired the 6,000 ceu car carrier Höegh Chiba from Norwegian ro-ro operator Hoegh Autoliners.
“Höegh Chiba”, built in 2006, is expected to be delivered to its new owner in August this year for a purchase price of US$61 million. The PCTC is already under charter and will be renamed Auto Way and managed by Wallenius Marine.
Listed in Oslo in 2021, Hoegh Autoliners signed a contract with China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd. for the construction of 4+4+4 dual-fuel and zero-carbon ready Aurora class car carriers in 2022. All optional orders are now in force and 12 new shipbuildings will all built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu), with delivery of the first unit scheduled for July 2024. Höegh Autoliners has the option to convert one or more of thenew shipbuildings to run on ammonia fuel once the technology has matured.
Designed by Deltamarin, the PCTC can carry up to 9,100 cars. In addition to being able to operate on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and conventional fuels, it has been awarded the “Ammonia and Methanol Ready” class notation by DNV.
In addition, Hoegh Autolinersg has entered into an agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. to add an optional order for an additional 4 PCTCs, thereby increasing the number of PCTCs to be ordered from 12 to 16 (i.e., 4+4+4+4+4). According to the agreement, deliveries are scheduled for 2026 and 2027 if the new option orders take effect.
Stockholm-based Wallenius Lines is understood to be part of the Soya Group, which together with Nippon Yusen (NYK) owns the short-haul shipping company United European Car Car Carriers, and is also the majority shareholder in Oslo-listed car transport operator Wallenius Wilhelmsen. Together, the two companies own and operate more than 60 vessels.
In the last month, Wallenius Wilhelmsen has announced that it has entered into an agreement with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard for four “Shaper” class 9,350 ceu methanol dual-fuel PCTCs, which are expected to be delivered between May and November 2027, increasing the number of “Shaper” class newbuildings in the shipyard to eight, with options on the remaining four units of the same type.