Italian shipping company Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of the twelfth hybrid roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ship of the Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) class from the Chinese Jinling shipyard in Nanjing.
According to World Maritime News, the vessel Eco Italia will fly the Italian flag, has a length of 238 meters, a beam of 34 meters, a gross tonnage of 67,311 tonnes and a service speed of 20.8 knots.
The loading capacity of its seven decks – two of which are hoistable – is twice that of the previous class of short sea RoRo ships deployed by Grimaldi Group: in fact, the vessel can carry some 7,800 linear meters of freight, equivalent to around 500 trailers and 180 cars.
However, the increase in capacity does not affect fuel consumption, thanks to the adoption of numerous technological solutions that optimize the ship’s operational and environmental performance, according to the company.
The RoRo is equipped with electronically controlled engines and an exhaust gas cleaning system to reduce sulphur and particulate emissions.
Specifically, at the same speed, Eco Italia consumes the same amount of fuel compared to the previous generation ships, and is, therefore, able to halve CO2 emissions per unit transported, Grimaldi emphasized.
In addition, while at berth, the ship reaches the “Zero emission in port” target: during port operations, Eco Italia uses the electricity stored in mega lithium batteries with a total power of 5 MWh. These are recharged during navigation thanks to shaft generators and 350 m2 of solar panels.
“With their outstanding operational and environmental performance, our ‘Eco’ ships are revolutionizing short sea shipping in Europe“, stated the Neapolitan group Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi.
“We will continue to invest in this green revolution, as recently confirmed with the order of two more GG5G-class units, to be delivered by 2025“.
To remind, the company recently secured two loans, totaling €70 million, from the Intesa Sanpaolo bank for the purchase of two vessels belonging to the GG5G class.
Upon her arrival in Italy, scheduled for the end of November, Eco Italia will be deployed in the motorways of the sea network operated by Grimaldi Group in the Western Mediterranean.
To bolster its eco-friendly fleet, Grimaldi Group has also signed an order for the construction of five new pure car truck carriers (PCTCs) with China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu, which is part of China Merchant Industry Holdings. They will feature “Ammonia Ready” class notation, which certifies that the ships have been designed and will be built to be converted to use ammonia as marine fuel.
