Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping has taken delivery of its first LNG dual-fuel pure car/truck carrier – the 7,000-ceu Lake Herman.
The vessel is the first of 16 newbuildings ordered by the Idan Ofer-controlled company at Chinese shipyards between June 2021 and the first half of this year.
The Lake Herman was built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Nanjing). The shipyard is due to deliver nine more newbuildings by the end of 2025.
The other six PCTC newbuildings are being constructed at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), also known as Jinling Weihai.
Shipbuilding sources said China Merchants Jinling is one of the reputable PCTC shipbuilders in China. They added that the shipyard completed construction of the Lake Herman one month ahead of schedule.
Company chief executive Cyril Ducau said the Lake Herman emits approximately 41% less CO2 than conventional marine fuel PCTCs as the vessel is equipped with a shaft generator motor system, solar panels, battery pack and onshore power connection and will be running on LNG.
The Lake Herman has been chartered out to Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines for five years. The maiden voyage is to transport Mazda vehicles to Europe.
The Lake Herman called at Singapore on Tuesday for LNG bunkering, with Shell supplying the fuel.
The new car carrier is the first to have a padel tennis court on board. The idea to have the facility came from Ofer himself since the racket sport is gaining traction worldwide.
TradeWinds has learned that all of Eastern Pacific’s PCTC newbuildings will have padel courts on board and the facility will also be fitted on all its car carriers on the water.
Eastern Pacific held a mini padel tennis tournament on the Lake Herman that saw Team EPS win 7-6 on a tie-break.
“Being the first to provide padel courts on ships, we at EPS are continuously working to improve life on board our vessels, maintaining a strong fitness culture, keeping the well-being of our seafarers our top priority,” said the company.
“These padel courts are one of the many facilities on board that play a key role in supporting our ‘Strong Body, Strong Mind’ philosophy, combining fun physical activities with social and team-building benefits.”
