Italian shipowner Grimaldi Group has signed an agreement for the construction of five Pure Car Truck Carriers (PCTCs) with the Chinese shipyard Yangfan, a total investment worth USD 300 million.
Under the contract, Grimaldi has an option for construction of further seven units.
The newbuilds, ordered as part of the company’s ambitious fleet expansion and rejuvenation plan, are expected to be delivered by 2017.
The PCTCs will be capable of transporting over 7,800 vehicles and will be used on routes linking the Mediterranean with North America, as announced on Borsa Italiana.
The said Grimaldi routes are particularly dedicated to shipping of Fiats and Chryslers.
According to the group’s president Gianluca Grimaldi, the newbuilds will be extremely fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly that they have been dubbed the Green PCTCs.
The current backlog of the shipping group also includes the delivery of two RoRo ships by the end of the year, being built under a contract for six units with Korean shipyards, all aimed at the group’s connections between Europe and West Africa.
Moreover, by 2016 the company’s subsidiary Atlantic Container Line (ACL) is slated to take delivery of five RoRo ships with a carrying capacity of 3,800 TEUs, 28,900 square meters of rolling cargo and 1,307 cars, the biggest Con-Ro of their kind in the world.
World Maritime News Staff