Italian shipowner Achille Onorato’s Moby Lines has firmed up an order for a pair of ro-pax ferries at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) that it claims will be the largest and greenest in the world when they are delivered in 36 months time.
They are part of an order for up to eight vessels that Moby and compatriot MSC first agreed to build at the yard in early 2018.
The 69,500-gt pair will come fitted with scrubbers, but their design will also incorporate the capability for them to be converted to run on LNG should the owner choose to do so at a later date.
With an overall length of 237 metres and a width of 32 metres, the ships will carry 2,500 passengers in 550 cabins and 1,300 cars on vehicle decks 3,765-lane-metres.
The passenger accommodation will rival that of a modern cruiseship.
Keel laying for the first ship is scheduled for June 2020, with delivery to take place in time for the peak summer season of 2022. The second ferry will follow six months later.
Moby will deploy the ships on its core Sardinia routes.
Onorato said the newbuilding contract marked an essential stage in the strengthening of the Moby fleet and suggested that more might be ordered in the near future.
“Very shortly, we might confirm the option for another couple of ships with the same characteristics. These units, that will serve Sardinia, will represent a flywheel for the economy and tourism of the island that we are honoured to serve ensuring a better service, more and more accessible and environmentally sustainable.”
Moby is one of Italy’s largest ferry operators, with a fleet of over 20 ro-pax and ro-ro vessels.
GSI is rapidly becoming one of China's largest ferry builders, with an order book that includes a pair of LNG-powered ro-paxes for Denmark's DFDS.
