Eco Savona christened in her namesake city

Grimaldi Group’s hybrid ro-ro vessel Eco Savona was christened on Wednesday during its maiden call in the port of Savona.

This is the fourth hybrid ro-ro unit of twelve Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) vessels ordered by the Grimaldi Group.

The newbuild was delivered in March this year by Jinling shipyard.

The cutting of the ribbon and the traditional breaking of the bottle was carried out by the ship’s godmother Ilaria Caprioglio, Mayor of Savona.

“I wish to thank the Grimaldi Group for giving me the honour of being the godmother of the new ro-ro ship Eco Savona – a hybrid ship capable of reducing emissions in port to zero using electricity, perfectly in line with sustainability policies representing the priority of our administration, which is declining its strategic actions according to the objectives set by the UN 2030 Agenda”, said Caprioglio.

During port stays, Eco Savona is capable of cutting emissions to zero by using the electricity stored in mega lithium batteries with a total power of 5 MWh, which are recharged during navigation thanks to shaft generators and 350 m2 of solar panels.

The CC5G ships have electronically-controlled engines and an exhaust gas cleaning system for the abatement of sulphur and particulate emissions.

“We believe that, today more than ever, sustainable change and innovation are crucial to having economic growth capable of generating a positive environmental as well as social impact. It is our main objective to make port operations more sustainable for local communities, and in this perspective the port of Savona has planned a number of actions, such as cold ironing in the passenger terminal, which has been carried out this year in order to reduce emissions from ships at berth,” said Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority System Chairman Paolo Emilio Signorini.

“Being here today in Savona, a city that has hosted us for at least 40 years, to christen the largest and most sustainable ro-ro ship in the world, is a source of great pride for us as well as an important milestone for maritime transport in the Mediterranean,” Guido Grimaldi, Grimaldi Group Corporate Short Sea Shipping Commercial Director, stated.

“During a very difficult year like 2020, we continued to invest in sustainability, and such cutting-edge and environmentally friendly ships like the Eco Savona already allow us to reach the 2050 targets. Sustainability not only pays off economically and financially: it is a social duty of all of us”.

Once her commercial operations are concluded, the Eco Savona will leave the Ligurian port and, just as her sister vessels Eco Valencia, Eco Barcelona and Eco Livorno, begin to operate regularly for the transport of rolling freight between Italy and Spain.