COSCO Shipping welcomes 7,000CEU car carrier to fleet

China’s COSCO Shipping Special Transport recently welcomed a new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) into service.

Xiangjiangkou ("Xiangjiang Estuary") belongs to a series that also includes Peony Leader and Ganjiangkou. All three ships were built by Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) and are owned by CITIC Financial Leasing.

COSCO Shipping Special Transport will operate the PCTCs under a time charter contract.

Like its sisters, Xiangjiangkou has an LOA of 199.99 metres, a beam of 38 metres, a draught of 9.7 metres at full load, a depth of 14.8 metres, and a total capacity of 7,000 CEUs.

The propulsion machinery consists of a two-stroke main engine and three generators, all of which can run on LNG as well as conventional fuel oil. Also fitted are a bow thruster, a rudder, a fixed-pitch propeller, and two 1,675-cubic-metre LNG fuel tanks.

The PCTC has 12 vehicle decks with the two topmost decks also configured for the transport of hydrogen-powered vehicles and electric vehicles. Eight of the decks are fixed in place while the remaining four may be adjustable to various heights to permit the carriage of a range of vehicle types including large trailers and buses. Loading and unloading of vehicles will be done via stern and starboard side ramp doors.

In addition to transporting vehicles, the PCTC may also be used for carrying IMDG Code-compliant dangerous goods.