Business

UECC takes delivery of second LNG battery hybrid PCTC from Chinese yard

“Auto Achieve” will contribute to reduced emissions in the European shortsea trade where it will join sister vessel “Auto Advance” that was delivered last year.

Published

4 years ago

June 15, 2022

Admin

Norwegian roll-on/roll-off shipping line United European Car Carrier (UECC) on Tuesday (14 June) said its fleet of pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) has been strengthened with a landmark delivery of a second multi-fuel LNG battery hybrid newbuild from China’s Jiangnan Shipyard on 13 June.

The latest PCTC, to be named Auto Achieve, will further contribute to reduced emissions for the environmentally focused ro-ro carrier in the European shortsea trade where it will join sister vessel Auto Advance that was delivered from the Chinese yard late last year.

“UECC has taken a progressive approach to curbing its environmental footprint with these newbuilds that are the first PCTCs to adopt this innovative technological solution, which is based on stringent design criteria for energy efficiency,” said Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC.

The company will have a total of five eco-friendly vessels – over 50% of its owned fleet of nine PCTCs – when the third and final newbuild in the series is delivered later this year, with 80% of its total lifting capacity meeting or exceeding the IMO target to cut carbon intensity by 40% within 2030.

First-mover

The three new multi-fuel LNG battery hybrid vessels will also meet the IMO Tier 3 NOx emissions limitations entering into force in the Baltic Sea and North Sea from 2021 keel lays.

UECC earlier developed the pioneering dual-fuel LNG vessels Auto Eco and Auto Energy that have been meeting the IMO carbon-intensity target during six years of operation.

“No other shortsea or deepsea operator can demonstrate such a sustainable fleet. UECC has been a first-mover for green operations in the car carrier segment and is now benefiting from this proactive strategy by realising significant fuel efficiency gains and emission reductions,” Edvardsen says.

The unique solution combining multi-fuel LNG engines for main propulsion and auxiliaries together with battery hybrid capability was developed by UECC together with DNV and Jiangnan’s in-house ship designer Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute.

Multi-fuel engines enable a carbon dioxide emissions reduction of around 25%, SOx and particulate matter by 90% and NOx by 85% from the use of LNG and are also adaptable for low-carbon fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic fuels as these become available.

Investment for future

The addition of hybrid technology marks another step up in sustainability as battery power can further reduce emissions through peak shaving, in addition to handling partial accommodation load and driving auxiliary equipment, while boosting operating efficiency.

The use of battery power is also beneficial for port calls as it eliminates particulate matter and other harmful emissions that represent a public health risk in coastal cities.

With the expected advent of the EU’s Emissions Trading System for shipping in 2024, UECC’s green fleet will prove a competitive advantage as more pollutive vessels will face higher costs in calling at European ports.

“Our investment in these newbuilds was based on our ethical belief in the need for decarbonisation of shipping to make a difference for the environment, given the industry’s high level of emissions relative to other sectors,” said Edvardsen.

“UECC’s decision has since been vindicated as increasing regulatory and market pressure for green operations have demonstrated the value of this future-oriented investment.”

Photo credit: UECC
Published: 15 June, 2022

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026