A new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) was handed over to Chinese shipowner the Anhui Port and Shipping Group in a ceremony in Shanghai on Thursday, June 19.
AICC Kunpeng departed on its maiden operational voyage later that same day, carrying a cargo of vehicles for distribution in Europe.
The newbuild is a sister ship of AICC Huanghu, which was delivered earlier this year. Like its earlier sister, it will be operated by Anhui Hangrui International Ro-Ro Transportation Company, a joint venture formed by the Anhui Port and Shipping Group and car manufacturers Chery Automobile and the JAC Automobile Group.
The PCTC has an LOA of 199.9 metres, a beam of 38 metres, a maximum draught of 10 metres, a depth of 15.5 metres, and a gross tonnage of 71,000. There are 12 cargo decks that can house a total of 7,000 vehicles including those powered by lithium batteries. Four of the decks are movable to permit the carriage of high vehicles such as trailers and buses.
Design work on AICC Kunpeng was undertaken by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute.