Höegh Autoliners has officially confirmed a new expansion order for six additional dual-fuel LNG, zero-carbon-ready Aurora-class pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs).
The latest newbuildings are scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2031 and extend the company’s Aurora newbuilding project to a total of 18 vessels, all to be constructed by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) (CMHI).
Benefiting from long-term strategic partnership advantages, large-scale serial construction economics and mature vessel design iteration, Höegh Autoliners said it had secured highly competitive contract terms for the expanded fleet, although did not reveal financial details.
Additionally the company has obtained a six-month construction option for four extra vessels under identical contractual conditions, alongside reserved building slots for another four units valid until 31 December 2027.
Including the 12 vessels previously delivered or under construction, the overall Aurora-class programme is scalable to a maximum of 26 vessels.
Designed with low-carbon and future-proof specifications, each Aurora-class vessel holds DNV’s ammonia and methanol-ready classification notations. Equipped with Everllence main propulsion systems and Kongsberg Maritime intelligent bridge solutions, the vessels feature a cargo capacity of up to 9,100 cars.
Compared with traditional PCTC tonnage, the Aurora series cuts carbon emissions by up to 58%, delivering superior environmental performance and operational efficiency. The vessels are fully reserved with technical conversion potential for future ammonia fuel adaptation, laying a solid foundation for long-term zero-carbon transformation and further consolidating Höegh Autoliners’ leading edge in sustainable automotive logistics shipping.
The Aurora-class project stems from a strategic cooperation framework jointly established by Höegh Autoliners and CMHI in 2021. The first batch of four vessels was officially confirmed in 2022, and the programme has achieved steady phased expansion, growing from 4 initial units to 12 and further to the current 18 firm orders.
Höegh Autoliners currently operates around 40 ro-ro vessels in global trade systems and makes more than 2 000 port calls each year.