Adding a new dimension to the ‘green’ revolution, Mitsui OSK Lines’ hybrid Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) Emerald Ace called at the port of Durban for the first time recently to load new cars for East African destinations. The 199-metre-long vessel, with capacity for 6 400 passenger cars, is the world’s first newly built hybrid car carrier. She is equipped with a hybrid electric power supply system that combines a 160kW solar generation system with lithium-ion batteries that can store some 2.2MWh of electricity. Conventional power generation systems use dieselpowered generators to supply onboard electricity while berthed. On the Emerald Ace, electricity is generated by the solar power generation system while the vessel is under way and stored in the lithium-ion batteries. CAPTION The 199-metre-long Emerald Ace in Durban harbour.
