Höegh Aurora claims crown of world’s largest, greenest, PCTC

Höegh Aurora will enter service immediately. [Photo Höegh Autoliners]

Three years after launching its Aurora Class design, Norway’s Höegh Autoliners yesterday took deliver of the first vessel in the class, Höegh Aurora. Built at the China Merchants Heavy Industry shipyard in Jiangsu, China, it has a length of 199 meters, a beam of 37.8 meters and a capacity of up to 9,100 cars. That’s 600 cars up on the previous “world’s largest” in the PCTC category, Höegh Autoliners’ Horizon class.

Though not the world’s first “ammonia ready” ship, Höegh Aurora and the other Aurora Class vessels in the pipeline are, says Höegh Autoliners, a “monumental leap” towards its 2040 net-zero emissions goal.

All Auroras will have DNV’s “ammonia ready” and “methanol ready” notations and will be the first vessels in the PCTC-segment able to operate on carbon-neutral ammonia. They will be cutting carbon emissions per car transported by up to 58% from the current industry average.

“With the Aurora Class, we are pioneering efforts to combat pollution in a hard-to abate segment,” says Höegh Autoliners CEO Andreas Enger. “We are setting new standards for sustainable deep-sea transportation, making a significant stride toward our 2040 net zero emissions goal. 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 has strengthened decks and enhanced internal ramp systems enabling it to carry electric vehicles on all 14 decks. The Aurora class vessels also have 1,,500 square meters of solar panels on the top deck, reducing electricity production from the generators by up to 30-35%. Additionally they are equipped to plug into electric shore power for emissions-free port operations.

Powered by MAN Energy Solutions multifuel engines, the first Aurora Class vessels will operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG), biofuels, and low-sulfur oil. From 2027, the aim is that the last four of the 12 Aurora Class vessels will operate on green ammonia, reducing emissions by close to 100%.

Höegh Autoliners has already partnered with several of the world’s leading ammonia producers to ensure the supply and usage of green ammonia – these include Yara Clean Ammonia, Norwegian North Ammonia, Sumitomo Corporation and more.

Höegh Autoliners expects the delivery of two Aurora Class vessels every six months until first-half 2027, with the option of ordering another four ships.