Italy’s Grimaldi Group has signed a $630m order with Chinese yards for up to seven ammonia-ready pure car/truck carriers.
The Naples-based company is ordering five 9,000-ceu vessels from two subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corp.
Options for two more vessels are included in the package.
The vessels have been commissioned at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and China Shipbuilding Trading Co.
Deliveries are expected between 2025 and 2026 when the vessels will be deployed in Grimaldi’s services between Europe, North Africa, the Middle and Far East.
The new order leaves Grimaldi with firm orders for 10 PCTC vessels at three Chinese yards, and options for up to seven more.
Testimony
The total value of all 17 ships on order, including options, is estimated to be more than $1.5bn.
“This testifies to the company’s trust in the growth of the global automotive industry, and notably of the electric car segment,” the Italian company said.
The deal follows hot on the heels of an earlier contract with a different yard for five PCTC ammonia-ready vessels.
In October last year, the company placed an order for five 9,000-ceu vessels with China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu), with options for a further five vessels.
The company said its latest newbuildings will be equipped with electronic engines to lower consumption.
They will also be equipped with emission abatement systems, as well as cold ironing with shoreside supply of electricity.
Ammonia-ready class notation will be provided by Italian classification society RINA.
The ships have been designed to transport electric and fossil fuel vehicles as well as other types of heavy rolling freight up to 250 tonnes.
Their CO2 emissions per cargo unit transported index will be 27% lower than that of previous generations of ships.
That marks an evolution of the 6,700-ceu car carriers delivered to Grimaldi between 2016 and 2018.
The Italian company described the newbuilding order as coming at a very important time for the Chinese maritime industry.
It said that was due to the recent entry of the China Shipowners’ Association into the International Chamber of Shipping, of which Emanuele Grimaldi is chairman.
