The “Glovis Nova” is the third car carrier in a new series built for Hyundai Glovis. The vessel, which has a capacity of 10,800 vehicles, is setting off on its maiden voyage to Europe with a record cargo.
The new vessel was built by the Chinese company Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), which collaborated with China Shipbuilding Trading Co. (CSTC). The “Glovis Nova” was delivered to the Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC), which will act as the ship’s owner in future. Immediately after delivery, the vessel was chartered to the South Korean company Hyundai Glovis and now operates between Asia and South-East Asia, North America and Europe.
Like its sister ships, the “Glovis Sunrise” and “Glovis Leader”, the “Glovis Nova” has a capacity of 10,800 CEU, spread across 14 decks. It is 230 m long and 40 m wide. It is fitted with a dual-fuel propulsion system capable of burning both heavy fuel oil and LNG, enabling the vessel to reach a service speed of up to 19 kn. The vessel was classified by the Korean Register (KR). The “Glovis Nova” is also the first Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) to be fitted with a photovoltaic system for electricity generation. The peak output is 200 kW, which means that around 1,000 kWh of electricity can be generated with 5.5 to 7 hours of sunshine per day.
According to Chinese media reports, the newbuild was delivered well ahead of the contractually agreed deadline: GSI would still have had 200 days to complete the project. The reduced construction time provides valuable insights for future vessels in the same series. The “Glovis Nova”’s maiden voyage will take it from Shanghai to Europe. In the process, the vessel will set a new record “incidentally”: according to reports in the South China Morning Post, the newbuild is carrying 7,738 electric cars destined for the European market. No car carrier had ever before carried so many electric cars in its hold.
