Grimaldi welcomes final eco-friendly PCTC

Italy’s Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of Grande California, the final of seven pure car & truck carriers (PCTCs) ordered from the Chinese Yangfan shipyard in Zhoushan.

Featuring a length of 199.9 metres and a beam of 36.45 metres, the Grande California has a gross tonnage of 65,255 tonnes and a service speed of 19 knots.

The Italian-flagged eco-friendly car carrier can transport around 7,600 CEU or, alternatively, 5,400 linear metres of rolling stock and 2,737 CEU.

With its four hoistable decks, the Grande California is able to transport any type of rolling freight up to 5.3 metres high. The side ramp and quarter stern ramp allow the loading of freight units weighing up to 150 tonnes, while the configuration of her 12 decks and the system of internal ramps minimize the risk of damage to the cargo during loading and unloading operations.

Also with respect to environmental sustainability, the Grande California is equipped with devices that allow it to reduce harmful emissions and achieve high energy efficiency. These include an electronically-controlled Man Energy Solutions main engine, as required by the new regulations for the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions, as well as an exhaust gas cleaning system for cutting sulphur oxide (SO_x) and particulate emissions. In addition, she complies with the latest ballast water treatment regulations.

“Expanding our fleet with large, modern and environmentally friendly ships such as the Grande California means being able to offer increasingly better transport services not only for our customers but also for the environment“, Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Neapolitan shipping company, commented.

“Another 15 new, highly innovative ships will be delivered to our group in the coming years, and we continue to invest in research and development to constantly increase the quality of our offer while reducing the environmental impact of our operations. We will go ahead in this direction, convinced that this is the right choice.”

Once the newbuild arrives from China, the Grande California will be deployed to further boost the weekly RoRo connection operated by the Grimaldi Group between the Mediterranean and North America, regularly serving 15 ports in Italy (Civitavecchia, Gioia Tauro, Livorno, Salerno, Savona), Spain (Valencia), Belgium (Antwerp), Canada (Halifax), United States (Baltimore, Davisville, Houston, Jacksonville, New York), and Mexico (Altamira, Veracruz).

Last week, Grimaldi also took delivery of Eco Catania, the fifth of twelve new hybrid roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships belonging to the Grimaldi Green 5^th Generation (GG5G) class.