Oslo-based Höegh Autoliners has welcomed the second Aurora-Class pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Höegh Borealis, to its fleet.
Höegh Autoliners took delivery of the 25 200-dwt vessel on October 16 at 17:15 local time, following her naming ceremony on September 11, which was attended by Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Chinese officials.
The shipowner shared the news with a social media post, noting that the vessel has embarked on its maiden voyage, sailing in the wake of her sister vessel, Höegh Aurora under the Norwegian flag.
The ship is the second of twelve Aurora-class vessels that the company ordered at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) as part of its transformational newbuild program.
The first Aurora vessel, Höegh Aurora, was delivered at a naming ceremony at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s yard in Jiangsu, China on August 8.
All vessels are being built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI), classed by DNV and registered under the Norwegian flag, «NIS».
By the first half of 2027, all twelve Auroras will be delivered and in operation, equipped with engines primed to run on ammonia. Notably, the company has secured access to MAN’s ammonia 2-stroke engines for installation on the vessels.
“The Aurora Class is a monumental leap towards Höegh Autoliners’ 2040 net-zero emissions goal,” the company explains.
The Aurora-class has a capacity of up to 9,100 cars and with strengthened decks and enhanced internal ramp systems, the vessels can carry electric vehicles on all 14 decks.
All Auroras will have DNV’s “ammonia ready” and “methanol ready” notations.
“The Höegh Borealis and the Aurora Class is a striking example of what can be achieved when industry leaders from Norway, China, Germany, Korea, Finland, Australia – and many more – come together across industries, borders, and cultures,” said the chairman of the board of directors at Höegh Autoliners, Leif O. Høegh.
