Seatrade-Maritime: Ningbo Ocean Shipping moves into car carrier sector

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

The LNG dual‑fuel car carrier Clean Star, operated by Ningbo Ocean Shipping, is set to depart on its maiden voyage to Europe upon completing the loading of more than 5,400 hybrid or battery-powered vehicles.

This milestone signals Ningbo Ocean Shipping’s official foray into the ro‑ro shipping segment. It also represents the first expansion of the carrier’s service network to continental Europe, injecting strong impetus into Ningbo‑Zhoushan Port’s drive to build ro‑ro cargo volumes and upgrade its hub capabilities.

Clean Star features an overall length of 195.6 metres, a beam of 38 metres and a top speed of 19 knots. Designed for around 7,000 standard car spaces, the vessel is powered by an LNG‑and‑conventional‑fuel dual‑fuel propulsion system.

Departing from Ningbo‑Zhoushan Port, the new route includes port calls at Gioia Tauro, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. The transit takes approximately 20 days, delivering new‑energy vehicles manufactured in East China to Mediterranean Europe and substantially lifting export‑logistics efficiency.

The company operates a fleet of roughly 120 vessels, boasting total capacity in excess of 1.9 million dwt tons together with container capacity surpassing 100,000 teu. Clean Star is the sole ro‑ro vessel in Ningbo Ocean Shipping’s operated fleet.

Backed by solid hardware strengths and drawing on the core‑hub advantages of Ningbo‑Zhoushan Port, Ningbo Ocean Shipping is scaling up its service reach from coastal and short‑sea trades toward trans‑oceanic deep‑sea routes.

Its container and breakbulk shipping networks stretch from Northeast and East Asia to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, covering more than 50 major domestic and overseas ports.