Höegh Autoliners bets big: 6 new car carriers to meet surging Asian demand

The Oslo-listed owner orders six 9,100-ceu vessels from China, expanding its Aurora-class fleet to 18 ships by 2031.

Aryan Kumar 29 Aug 2026 ·10:48 · 2 hours ago

4 min read OSLO

An Aurora-class car carrier, part of Höegh Autoliners' fleet expansion programme.

THE ESSENTIALS

Höegh Autoliners orders six additional 9,100-ceu car carriers from China Merchants Heavy Industry, expanding its Aurora-class fleet to 18 vessels.
The new vessels will be delivered between 2029 and 2031, with options for four more ships exercisable within six months.
The company raised NOK1.42bn ($152m) via a private placement to fund the expansion, with shares trading at 1.6 times net asset value.
Chinese vehicle exports surged 66% year-on-year in H1 2026, with over 1 million units exported in June alone.

En un movimiento estratégico para reforzar su flota, Höegh Autoliners ha concretado la adquisición de seis nuevos buques de transporte de vehículos con capacidad para 9,100 ceu. El acuerdo, firmado con astilleros chinos, contempla la construcción de embarcaciones de doble combustible LNG que serán entregadas entre 2029 y 2031, en plena expansión del mercado asiático de exportación automotriz. Esta nueva incorporación eleva a dieciocho el número total de unidades confirmadas dentro del proyecto Aurora, partiendo de las doce inicialmente previstas. La compañía noruega no descarta ampliar aún más su capacidad,…

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