Naples-based Grimaldi Group has unveiled a blueprint for an order of large ro-ros as well as the lengthening of up to a dozen existing vessels. It is also on the lookout for corporate acquisitions in the ropax sector (see story below) ahead of orders in that market next year, says managing director Emanuele Grimaldi.
Speaking at the 20th Euro-Med conference in Venice, Grimaldi said the newbuilding and enlargement programme was necessary to deal with an increase in demand. He pointed to a 20% rise in short sea cargoes and a 90% jump in passengers by Grimaldi Group in the first eight months of the year.
Grimaldi plans a tender for four new ro-ros with options G5GG banner, which stands for Grimaldi 5th Generation Green. Their design would amount to the largest in their sector with room for 500 trailers, or up to 7,000 lane metres. He said the order would likely be placed at the beginning of 2017 alongside a scheme involving the lengthening of an earlier generation of ro-ros built in South Korea and China.
Six ships in the fleet of Grimaldi-subsidiary Finnlines and up to six more in the Grimaldi fleet would be lengthened by 30 metres, enough to increase their capacity by around 1,000 lane metres. The lengthening programme would apply to vessels built in China and South Korea and would involve relatively young vessels delivered from 2010 onwards.
The vessels would not replace existing ships and no scrapping is anticipated as the fleet is relatively young, with an average age of 12 years compared to 15 in Northern Europe and 20 in the Mediterranean. He added that 10 car carriers to be delivered next year will substitute 10 smaller chartered-in vessels. Grimaldi added that sector of the market is also expected to grow.
While no details were given of the routes on which the newbuildings will operate, Grimaldi said his preference is ice-class ships, which points towards its Baltic services. He said the orders could be placed by the early part of next year and so may benefit from low newbuilding prices due to the reduced yard orderbook.
The G5GG ships being planned will follow the delivery of the Generation 4 (G4) conro vessels from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in 2012 to Grimaldi subsidiary Atlantic Container Line (ACL). The third of five ships in the G4 series, the 3,800-teu, 1,300-vehicle Atlantic Sea (built July 2016), was christened last month in Liverpool with the final two to be delivered in the coming months.
