Höegh Autoliners’ first ammonia-ready Aurora Class pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Höegh Aurora, was delivered at a naming ceremony at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s yard in Jiangsu, China, today (6 August).
The milestone delivery comes three years after Oslo-based Höegh signed a letter of intent with the shipyard to build a series of Aurora Class vessels which, in addition to being ammonia- and methanol-ready, are also capable of operating on LNG. Indeed, the first vessels will be running on a combination of LNG, biofuels, and low-sulphur fuel oil. From 2027, the aim is that the last four of the 12-strong series will be running on green ammonia.
Höegh Autoliners has already partnered with several ammonia producers to ensure the supply and usage of green ammonia, including Yara Clean Ammonia, Norwegian North Ammonia, Sumitomo Corporation and more. Through its membership of the First Movers Coalition, the company has committed, to powering at least 5% of its deep-sea operations with green ammonia by 2030. The goal is to run its fleet on at least 100,000 metric tonnes of green ammonia by that same year.
‘With the Aurora Class, we are pioneering efforts to combat pollution in a hard-to abate segment. We are setting new standards for sustainable deep-sea transportation, making a significant stride toward our 2040 net zero emissions goal,’ said Andreas Enger, CEO of Höegh Autoliners.
‘As the largest and most environmentally friendly PCTCs ever built, the Aurora Class vessels embody the change our industry needs. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of the Norwegian maritime cluster, our trusted partners, and our investors. We are grateful for their invaluable contributions to this project.’
The Höegh Aurora, which has a capacity of up to 9,100 cars, will commence commercial operations immediately.
Höegh Autoliners expect the delivery of two Aurora Class vessels every six months until H1 2027, with the option of ordering another four ships.
