Production of an 8,000 lane-metre capacity ro-ro freight vessel for northwest European short-sea trade has been set in train by shipbuilding contractor Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD).

The first of two sisters ordered by Luxembourg-based through-transport operator CLdN, the newbuild design features a technologically advanced, hybrid propulsion train offering the possibility to make transits in electric mode at speeds up to 17 knots.

In terms of cargo carrying arrangements, the nascent generation is modelled on the 8,000 lane-metre ships Celine and Delphine, delivered by HMD in 2017 and 2018, and which hold the title as the world’s largest ro-ros deployed in short-sea traffic. The 235m pair is currently operating on the Killingholme/Zeebrugge run across the southern North Sea between eastern England and Belgium. The newbuilds are expected to enter service during the first half of 2025.