Italian shipping player Grimaldi Group has welcomed another ammonia-ready pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) newbuild, Grande Melbourne, into the fleet.
Grande Melbourne, the third in a series of seven PCTCs built by subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), was officially named and delivered at the port of Shanghai on October 22.
As part of its maiden voyage on the Grimaldi Group’s Asia-Europe service, Grande Melbourne is scheduled to depart from Asia later this month
The vessel features a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a loading capacity of 9,241 CEU, designed to transport vehicles, both electric and powered by traditional fuels, as well as any other type of rolling cargo.
The PCTC is equipped with an electronic engine, which is said to offer one of the lowest specific fuel consumptions in its class and complies with the most stringent international limits for CO2, NOx, and SOx emissions.
In particular, Grande Melbourne is expected to reduce the CO2 emissions index per transported cargo by up to 50% compared to previous-generation PCTC vessels.
Additionally, the ship received the “Ammonia Ready” class notation from RINA (Italian Naval Register), certifying that it can be converted in the future to use ammonia as an alternative fuel. It is also equipped for shore power supply during berthing (cold ironing), which, where available, provides a green alternative to the use of traditional fuels while docked in port.
“Our new-generation PCTCs are setting a new standard in the global transport of vehicles across key global routes, especially those connecting Asia to the rest of the world”, stated Grimaldi Group Managing Director, Emanuele Grimaldi .
“Once again, we thank SWS for the excellent job made in the construction of the Grande Melbourne and her sister vessels. We are also deeply grateful to our long-standing customers like Scania, who keep appreciating our commitment to delivering increasingly efficient transport services worldwide”.