Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean (WW Ocean) has added the large car and truck carrier (LCTC), Titus, built at China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation’s (CSIC) shipyard in Xingang, to its fleet of neo-Panamax vessels.
“For a modern, efficient and environmentally sound fleet, Wallenius Wilhelmsen continues to replace older tonnage with modern vessels in line with our long-term plan. As she starts her journey today, Titus is one of the most efficient neo-Panamax vessels on the seas,” said Michael Hynekamp, president and chief operating officer at WW Ocean.
Titus is the first in a series of four post-Panamax vessels. The second vessel in the series is expected to enter service later this year and two are scheduled for delivery in 2019.
The vessel is a high efficiency ro-ro (HERO) design and has a capacity of 8,000 car equivalent units (ceu). The HERO class vessel is designed to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
The cargo hold features a two-pillar design and electrically hoistable deck panels, which WW Ocean says allows for flexible operations capable of transporting breakbulk, rolling equipment and cars.
“We see that the global ro-ro capacity is becoming more balanced, and our focus is to make sure we have a flexible fleet, able to ramp up and scale down capacity in line with customer demand. As rates remain under pressure and CO2 regulation for shipping is evolving, we continue to monitor developments and assess our future capacity needs,” added Hynekamp.
The vessel’s first port of call will be Yantai in China before sailing on the Asia-North America trade.
