VESSEL REVIEW | CM Hong Kong & CM Shen Zhen – China Merchants' newest dual-fuel car carriers for global trade

The China Merchants Group, through its subsidiary China Merchants Energy Shipping, recently took delivery of two new pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) in a series built by affiliate shipyard China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) to a design by Finnish naval architecture firm Deltamarin.

Classed by China Classification Society and DNV and built in compliance with Hong Kong flag requirements, CM Shen Zhen (深荣; Shenrong) and CM Hong Kong (港荣; Gangrong) each have an LOA of 219.9 metres (721.5 feet), a beam of 37.7 metres (124 feet), a draught of 9.1 metres (30 feet), a deadweight of 17,000, and a gross tonnage of 87,700.

The 13 vehicle decks on each ship can accommodate up to 9,300 CEUs across 78,416 square metres (844,060 square feet) of total area.

Cargo handling flexibility coupled with emissions-reducing feature

Three of the decks on each ship are adjustable to permit the transport of tall vehicles such as trucks and buses while another three decks will be allotted for hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles.

Each PCTC is powered by dual-fuel engines that can run on either methanol or conventional fuel oil and that are fitted with exhaust gas recirculation and selective catalytic reduction systems to ensure compliance with IMO Tier III NOx emissions standards. When operating on methanol, each ship’s NOx emissions can be reduced by as much as 70 per cent.

Proven operation on methanol fuel

Loading and unloading will be via side and stern ramps. All 13 decks are meanwhile fitted with 156 CCTV cameras and thermal imaging infrared sensors for early detection of onboard vehicle fires.

The two PCTCs have already begun transporting vehicle cargo between China and Europe. CM Hong Kong even recently took part in the first methanol ship-to-ship bunkering operation to be carried out in her namesake special administrative region, receiving approximately 500 tonnes of the low-emission fuel.