Wallenius Lines orders post Panamax car carrier duo

JUNE 26, 2013 — Cars may be getting smaller, but car carriers are not. Wallenius Lines and Tianjin Xingang Shipyard in China have finalized and signed a contract to build two post Panamax vessels for delivery in 2015 and 2016. The vessels will each have a capacity equivalent to 8,000 cars compared to the 6,000 carried by the world’s current largest car carriers, the Mark V vessels

Post Panamax carriers will carry 8,000 cars compared to 6,000 carried by largest current ships such as Salome (left)

“We believe in a strong market for our segment of shipping, and are pleased to have concluded the negotiations with Tianjin Xingang Shipyard in China for two state of the art post Panamax car carriers with the option to build another two vessels, Anders Boman, President, Wallenius Lines commented.

The vessels will be 200 m long with a beam width of 36.5 m and a car carrying capacity equivalent to 8,000 cars. A combination of large capacity, optimized hull design and a number of energy saving features will ensure the efficient operation and low environmental impact.

Tianjin Xingang Shipyard is located in Tianjin City and is part of CSIC, the government Northern Shipyard Group of China.

The vessels will be operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, owned 50 percent by Wallenius Lines.

Wallenius Lines’ partner in Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, Wilh. Wilhemsen ASA, placed an order for two similarly dimensioned post Panamax car carriers with shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries in May.