Grimaldi Group, one of Europe's biggest rolling cargo shipowners, is taking 10 of its 'conro' vessels out of the UK register as a consequence of Brexit.
Nine UK-flagged vessels operated by its subsidiary Atlantic Container Line (ACL) have been transferred to the Maltese flag, while a tenth is due to be added in the next few months.
The decision comes nearly four years after the company warned that it may be “obliged” to take action if Brexit was to lead to problems with operating the vessels, and is a further blow to the UK's status as a maritime leader after its exit from the European Union.
The ACL ships are deployed on liner services between North European and North American ports for the transport of rolling units and containers.
Two more vessels
The Neapolitan shipping group has also purchased two more ro-ro vessels to be operated on routes to and from Malta.
The company has acquired the 11,300-dwt Eurocargo Catania (built 2011) and 11,300-dwt Eurocargo Sicilia (built 2009).
The vessels will operate in its Malta Motorways of the Sea (MMOS) subsidiary.
Valletta-based MMOS has a fleet of six modern ro-ro vessels and operates services in the Mediterranean.
Grimaldi plans to further strengthen its services in the region by deploying two newbuildings on routes from Malta to Italy.
The company has 12 ro-ro newbuildings under construction in Asia, of which four have already been delivered.
One of the so-called Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) vessels will enter into service on trades to Malta in the second half of April, while a second vessel will be deployed on the route from the beginning of June.
“Having been present for over half a century in Malta is a demonstration of our commitment to the well-being of this nation whom we intend to serve with increasingly modern and eco-friendly vessels,” said managing director Emanuele Grimaldi, who is vice president of the Malta International Shipping Council.
The scrubber-fitted GG5G vessels are among the biggest short sea ro-ro units in the world, with gt of 67,311 tonnes and a service speed of 20.8 knots.
Their loading capacity is twice that of the previous class of ro-ro ships that Grimaldi deployed on the trade, with capacity to carry over 500 trailers as well as 180 cars.
