On Monday Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics held a ceremony in Melbourne, Australia to name its new car and truck carrying vessel MV Tijuca, described as one of world’s largest and most environmentally adapted car and truck carrying vessels.
The ceremony was led by Lady Sponsor Mrs Andrea Schrempp, wife of Wolfgang Schrempp, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific, one of WWL’s main customers.
The vessel, which was built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering yard in Korea for owner Wilh. Wilhelmsen, is able to carry up to 8,000 cars or a combination of 3,486 cars and 466 trucks/buses. The MV Tijuca features reinforced and moveable vehicle decks and an extra wide and strong 320 tonnes capacity stern ramp.
It will carry out six sailings per month from Europe, and four direct from North America.
Speaking at the ceremony Greg Martin, Regional Director for WWL Australia, said: “Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has been calling Australia and the port of Melbourne for over 100 years . . . As we welcome Tijuca today, we are already working closely with the Port of Melbourne Corporation evaluating marine terminal requirements for our next generation Mark V ro-ro vessels, to be launched in 2011, and for the longer term in the Port of Melbourne.”
The vessels environmental credentials include a reduction of CO2 emissions by 15% per transported unit, as well as reducing emissions of SOx and particulate matters. The Tijuca is also said to have a very low NOx emission engine that is able to use bunkers with as low as 1% of sulphur content, reducing NOx emissions 35% below current international regulations.
