United European Car Carriers (UECC) is further expanding its fleet of eco-friendly car carriers with the addition of the dual-fuel LNG newbuild ‘Blue Aspire’, delivered from delivered from CIMC Raffles Offshore Engineering.
The 200m vessel has capacity for nearly 7000 vehicles on 12 cargo decks including four hoistable decks suitable for high and heavy (H&H) cargoes, with a stern ramp capability of 250t.
UECC will operate the vessel together with another five vessels on a route between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, traversing the Turkish ports of Yenikoy and Autoport, the German port of Cuxhaven, and Zeebrugge, Belgium every 4.5 days.
UECC COO Per Christian Mørk said: “Deployment of the Blue Aspire will boost tremendously capacity and sailing frequency on this busy trade route, currently serviced by five vessels, while further enhancing the sustainability of the UECC fleet.”
The latest fleet addition will increase to six the number of UECC-operated vessels plying the North-South network, taking in a total of 10 ports on two routes, after the recent deployment of the renamed Auto Way that was acquired by UECC’s joint owner Wallenius Lines from Höegh Autoliners earlier in 2024. It will boost the size of UECC’s owned and chartered fleet to 15 PCTCs, including five dual and multi-fuel LNG vessels – three with battery hybrid capability – delivered in the past decade, with another two multi-fuel LNG newbuilds currently on order that are set for delivery in 2028 and options for two similar units.
Mørk said: “We are expanding our fleet with greater capacity and cargo-carrying flexibility to provide a more efficient service for clients in response to increasing demand as we see longer-term growth potential in this market.”
UECC regards sustainability as a key priority in procurement of maritime transport services to meet the environmental goals of vehicle manufacturers amid new green regulations – including FuelEU Maritime and the EU ETS – that provide a commercial incentive to reduce the cost of GHG emissions.
Mørk continued: “UECC is catering to this market requirement with an eco-friendly fleet geared to minimizing the environmental footprint of vessel operations with progressive reductions in carbon intensity, in line with regulation, through adoption of energy-efficient technologies and alternative fuels.”
While LNG can reduce emissions by around 25% compared with conventional fossil fuels, there is potential to greatly enhance environmental performance on LNG-fuelled vessels like Blue Aspire by switching to liquefied biomethane (LBM) that offers net-zero potential. UECC is now increasing application of the latter fuel on its dual-fuel LNG PCTCs after recently securing an LBM supply agreement with Titan Clean Fuels that is forecast to cut its overall fleet emissions by 75,000t in 2025, boosting its ‘Sail for Change’ sustainability initiative with several major European vehicle manufacturers.
Mørk said: “The Blue Aspire therefore represents a valuable addition to the UECC fleet that underpins our market commitment to sustainability, while contributing to decarbonisation of shipping.”
Image: ‘Blue Aspire’ LNG/LBM-fuelled PCTC (source: UECC)
