MOL Auto Carrier Express welcomes LNG-fuelled PCTC to fleet

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) recently held a formal naming ceremony for a new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) to be operated by its MOL Auto Carrier Express (MOL ACE) vehicle transport business unit.

Celeste Ace is a sister of Turquoise Ace and Ceruluan Ace, which were handed over to MOL ACE earlier this year. Like Cerulean Ace, Celeste Ace was built by Shin Kurushima Dockyard while Turquoise Ace was constructed by Imabari Shipbuilding.

The PCTC belongs to a new series of MOL ships with environment-friendly features. These ships are to be delivered as part of MOL’s fleet upgrade program, the objective of which is to introduce around 90 locally-built vessels powered by either LNG or methanol by the end of the current decade.

The newbuild has an LOA of 199.93 metres, a moulded beam of 38 metres, a depth of 22.8 metres, a gross tonnage of 77,965, and capacity for 7,033 CEUs. The hull boasts improved aerodynamic behaviour, thanks to a bow with a beveled top that can help reduce wind resistance by as much as 20 per cent.

The beam of the vessel itself is approximately six metres (20 feet) greater than on earlier other MOL PCTCs to permit the carriage of up to 600 additional vehicles while maintaining the same hull length.

The propulsion arrangement consists of a Mitsui-MAN 6S60ME-C10.5-GI main engine with a rated output of 10,800 kW at 100 rpm and four generators.

The main engine and the generators can run on LNG, which MOL claims can generate significantly reduced emissions of CO2 (25 to 30 per cent), NOx (85 per cent), and SOx (98 per cent) compared to engines powered by conventional fuel oil.