China's Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) handed over a new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) to South Korean shipping company HMM during a ceremony on Thursday, October 16.
Glovis Topaz will be operated under charter by Glovis Corporation for the transport of motor vehicles. She is a sister ship of Glovis Trust and Glovis Treasure, which were delivered by GSI to South Korea's H-Line Shipping earlier this year.
The newbuild has an LOA of 200 metres, a beam of 38 metres, a draught of 9.2 metres, and 14 vehicle decks that can accommodate a total of 8,600 CEUs. Five of the decks are liftable to permit the transport of taller vehicle cargo such as trailers and buses as well as other types of freight like heavy construction equipment.
An IMO Tier III dual-fuel propulsion system that can also run on LNG will enable the ship to reach speeds of up to 19 knots.
The PCTC is equipped with systems that enable intelligent management of the navigation systems, the engine room, and the cargo decks, thus improving operational efficiency and safety.
The vessel also boasts energy-saving and emissions-reduction technologies, such as an optimised hull design and a main engine waste heat recovery system.