Steel-cutting ceremony marks construction of zero-carbon ready Aurora-class vessels

Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners has announced that after many months of planning, designing, and preparing, the construction of its first Aurora-class vessel commenced.

Leaders and representatives from Höegh Autoliners, DNV, Deltamarin, Clarksons, and China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) attended the steel-cutting ceremony.

“Yesterday was a big day for both us and deep sea shipping. It was the tangible start of something that will change the industry. We are committed to building a more sustainable maritime industry in close collaboration with our partners and customers. Together with CMHI, we are leading the way towards a net zero emissions future for our industry,” said CEO of Höegh Autoliners Andreas Enger.

COO of Höegh Autoliners Sebjørn Dahl commented: “We are proud to partner with one of the largest and most reputable shipbuilders in China. We want to be the preferred green partner in deep-sea shipping, and this is yet another concrete and decisive step on our path to zero. We are investing in future technology and newbuilds to further strengthen our service offering and meet our ambitious environmental targets and those of our customers.”

Höegh Autoliners entered into a contract with CMHI for four fixed and eight optional multi-fuel and zero-carbon ready Aurora-class vessels in January 2022, and in April 2022, it exercised the option for the construction of additional four vessels, extending the newbuilding program to eight vessels.

At the time, the shipping company informed that the vessels will have DNV’s ammonia and methanol-ready notation, with the main engine provided by MAN and the bridge system supplied by Kongsberg.

To note, the vessel’s multi-fuel engine can run on marine gas oil (MGO) and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and with modifications, can transition to use ammonia or methanol.

In June 2022, MacGregor, part of Finnish Cargotec, was selected to supply comprehensive packages of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) equipment for the additional four multi-fuel and zero-carbon ready Aurora-class pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) ordered by Höegh Autoliners.