VESSEL REVIEW | Anji Prestige – Chinese operator’s new car carrier fitted with advanced emissions reduction technology

Chinese shipping company the SAIC Group, through subsidiary Anji Logistics, has taken delivery of a new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) built by the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Group.

Anji Prestige belongs to a series of two Post-Panamax PCTCs ordered by Anji Logistics from the same builder in 2022. Design work was undertaken by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute.

Refining an already proven PCTC design

The vessel’s design is an upgraded variant of an earlier PCTC with a maximum capacity of 7,600 CEUs. The increase in dimensions have allowed for greater onboard space, the most notable benefit of which is the ability to carry more vehicles and other Ro-Ro freight.

The newbuild has an LOA of 199.99 metres (656.14 feet), a beam of 38 metres (120 feet), a draught of 10.2 metres (33.5 feet), a depth of 15.5 metres (50.9 feet), a service speed of 19 knots, and a capacity of 7,800 vehicles including those powered by lithium batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. The propulsion system includes a WinGD 7X62DF2.1 dual-fuel main engine that can also run on LNG.

Advanced recirculation system to maximise use of available LNG fuel

The main engine is also fitted with an intelligent control by exhaust recycling (ICER) system, which can help reduce methane slip (when operating in gas mode) as well as emissions of greenhouse gas, particulate matter, and SOx.

With the aid of a special algorithm that can automatically track, cool and recirculate any exhaust gas, the ICER system will ensure that some of the methane in the exhaust gas will be re-combusted for use by the main engine and the generators, thus further reducing the ship's emissions.

Other key design elements aiding in construction

The design work on the vessel also entailed modifying the layout of the interior fittings including air ducts, stairways, and lifts. The builder said this made the final outfitting and related activities such as painting of the interiors more streamlined, which then contributed to the ship being delivered ahead of schedule.

Anji Prestige is classed by both DNV and China Classification Society and is registered to Liberia. For its initial sailings, the ship transported vehicle cargo to Europe, though later operations also included stops at ports in the United States and Mexico.

The introduction of the PCTC and its sisters will bring the total current Anji Logistics fleet to 22 ships, thus enabling the company to cover the major export routes between China and regions including Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, the United Kingdom, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand.