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United European Car Carriers (UECC) unveiled its newly built vessel, the Auto Energy, at an event in Bremerhaven earlier this month.

The 181-metre-long, 30-metre-wide pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) is able to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), heavy fuel oil (HFO) and marine gas oil (MGO). The vessel also incorporates technology that is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

"In LNG operation, the emission of nitrogen oxides is reduced by up to 80 percent and there are no sulphur dioxide or particulate emissions at all," said Jorg Schulz, Bremen's State Councillor for Ports.

The Auto Energy and its sister ship, the Auto Eco, are the world's largest car carriers with a main engine - the MAN B&W S50ME-C8.2-GI - that can run on LNG.

UECC has said that both ships will operate on an intra-European route between Southampton, U.K., and the Scandinavian region.

As previously reported by Bunker Index, the world's first purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel, the Engie Zeebrugge, is contracted to carry out bunker deliveries to UECC'S two LNG-fuelled PCTCs. The vessel arrived at its home port, Zeebrugge, on April 1.

Image: UECC's pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), the Auto Energy.