SOUTH SHIELDS: The world’s largest car transporter vessel which can carry 8,500 vehicles and boasts deck space the size of 10 football pitches has arrived into the UK on its maiden voyage from China.
Hoegh Target, the world’s biggest Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC), dwarfs North Shields Fish Quay after docking in Tyne and Wear this week.
The 14-deck vessel, which is 200 metres in length and 36 metres wide, has a deck space of 71,400 square metres and if all of the cars it could carry were stood end to end, they would measure a whopping 26 miles.
It also boasts doors much bigger than its counterparts, meaning it can take high-sided vehicles and trucks that are 6.5 metres high and 12 metres wide. Its stern ramp can also hold 375 tonnes of cargo – the equivalent weight of 75 adult elephants.
The world’s biggest car carrier, registered to Norwegian firm Hoegh Autoliners, was officially launched in June and has since sailed from Xiamen, China, to Britain via ports in South Korea, Japan, Italy, Spain, Holland and Belgium.
Hoegh Target, which will operate on the East Asia to Europe shipping line, is now due to sail back to China via Africa and Oceania.
The ship is the first in a series of six Post Panamax vessels under the environmentally-friendly New Horizon design that Höegh Autoliners will take delivery of in the next 18 months.
