Höegh Autoliners' Starlight Makes First Call at Port of Santander

The vessel Starlight, operated by Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners, made its first call at the Port of Santander on October 16. It is the seventh of eighteen Aurora Class vessels, designed for the transport of cars and trucks (PCTC), considered the largest and most environmentally friendly in the world.

The Aurora Class is the first in the PCTC segment ready to operate with ammonia propulsion and zero carbon emissions, featuring a main engine designed by MAN and a bridge system by Kongsberg Maritime. The twelve vessels initially ordered were followed by six additional units, set to enter service between 2029 and 2031, with an option to expand the order by four more vessels, which would bring the total to twenty-six units. All vessels in this class are sister ships, built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) and registered under the Norwegian flag.

The president of the Santander Port Authority (APS), César Díaz, accompanied by the RoRo director of Davila Agencias y Servicios Portuarios, Manuel Trueba, welcomed the vessel and presented a commemorative plaque to the ship's captain, Edgar Paul P. Buhia, congratulating the company on its commitment to decarbonization. Díaz also highlighted the trust placed by the shipping company after twenty-six years of operations in the Cantabrian port basin and described the port as a key logistics hub for Spain in vehicle traffic, backed by the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC).

The Starlight berthed at the Raos 8 quay after arriving from Le Havre to load 256 vehicles and machinery bound for South Africa, Reunion Island, India and Oman. The vessel, flying the Norwegian flag and consigned by Davila Agencias y Servicios Portuarios, has a length overall of 200 meters and a capacity of up to 9,100 vehicles, distributed across fourteen reinforced decks that allow electric vehicles to be loaded on all of them.