Car carrier owner Sallaum Lines has signed a contract for two firm and two optional 8，600 ceu newbuilds， marking the owner’s largest vessel size to date and another step in its ongoing fleet expansion programme.

The order has been placed with Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry for PCTCs designed to operate on LNG， VLSFO and MGO， with an ammonia-ready specification for future fuel conversion.

Each vessel will measure nearly 200 m in length， feature five liftable decks， and be designed to carry a mix of passenger vehicles， light commercial units and heavy rolling cargo.

The newbuilds will be deployed across Sallaum Lines’ core automotive logistics network， covering Europe， the Americas， Africa and the Middle East. The additional capacity is expected to support the company’s growing exposure to both established OEM flows and increasing export volumes out of Asia.

The order follows the recent delivery of two new 7，300 ceu LNG dual-fuel PCTCs， Ocean Express and Ocean Navigator， delivered by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu)， which further expanded the company’s owned fleet and marked another step in its dual-fuel transition.

It also comes shortly after Sallaum Lines shifted its headquarters to Cyprus， a move aimed at streamlining its commercial and operational structure as it scales its global finished vehicle logistics network.

The latest vessels continue the owner’s broader fleet renewal programme， which has seen incremental investment in LNG-capable tonnage， onboard efficiency upgrades， hull performance technologies and emissions-reduction measures aligned with its long-term decarbonisation roadmap.

No delivery timeline for the new Xiamen-built vessels has been disclosed.