Xiamen Shipbuilding is poised to seal its first newbuilding contract for this year, with the Chinese shipyard said to be in final discussions with Italy's Grimaldi Group for a contract to build up to six ro-ro vessels.
The deal is for three firm ships plus three options, shipbuilding sources said.
Officials at Xiamen declined to comment on the reports and Grimaldi could not be reached immediately.
However, a source with knowledge of the transaction said contract signing is imminent.
The price tag has not been disclosed but shipbuilding sources said Xiamen is scheduled to deliver the firm vessels from the beginning of 2020.
If Grimaldi confirms the order, “the contract will be Xiamen’s first deal this year”, a source familiar with the Chinese shipyard said.
The order also marks a sizeable expansion of Grimaldi's orderbook.
Last autumn, Grimaldi managing director Emanuele Grimaldi disclosed that his company would be ordering six hybrid ro-ro ferries plus four options with delivery from 2020. The effort has been dubbed the Grimaldi Green Generation 5 (GGG5) project and has been designed together with Danish naval architect Knud E Hansen.
Last month, Grimaldi inked an order for six ro-ros at Jinling Shipyard. The contract was reported to be worth $400m and Jinling is slated to deliver the vessels from 2020 onwards.
Three of the ships will be operated by Grimaldi Lines in the Mediterranean, while the remaining three, which will be ice-classed, will be purchased by Grimaldi Group’s sister company, Finnlines, and deployed in the Baltic Sea.
“Grimaldi is enlisting both Jinling and Xiamen to build [an] equal number of ro-ro vessels,” one shipbuilding player said. “It has now concluded the deal with Jinling, and Xiamen’s contract will be firming up soon.”
The Jinling newbuildings will have a length of 238 metres, a beam of 34 metres and be 64,000 gt, meaning they will be able to transport more than 7,800 linear metres of rolling units — equivalent to 500 trailers.
The hybrid vessels will use fossil fuel during navigation and will be equipped with lithium batteries, enabling them to use electricity while in port.
Xiamen, a state-owned shipyard, is currently constructing one ropax for Viking Line of Finland. The 63,000-gt ship, which was reported to cost €194m ($207m), is due to roll out of dry dock in 2020.
Xiamen is also one of the few shipbuilders in China that constructs pure car/truck carriers, including a pair of 7,500-ceu newbuildings being built for Siem Car Carriers. The pair will be dual-fuelled and is slated for delivery next year.
