The Grimaldi Group has presented, in the port of Vigo, the GRANDE AUCKLAND, its new cargo ship and the second of the seven new generation Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) units commissioned from the Chinese shipyards Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited (CSTC), which belong to China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).
The stop in Vigo marks the first arrival in Europe of this modern vessel, designed to operate with high standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. The presentation ceremony, held at the Bouzas Ro-Ro Terminal, was attended by the ship’s captain, Giuseppe Ferranti; Sebastiano Cirnigliaro, commercial manager Automotive Division Spain of Grimaldi Logística España; Carlos Botana, president of the Port Authority of Vigo, as well as representatives of the Grimaldi Group, the port community, clients and logistics sector operators.
During the event, attendees were able to visit the ship’s facilities and learn first-hand about its technical characteristics. The GRANDE AUCKLAND strengthens the maritime connection between Asia and Europe within the group’s global network and joins as one of the most sustainable units in its fleet. With a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters and a gross tonnage of 77,500 tons, the GRANDE AUCKLAND can transport up to 9,241 vehicles (CEU) and has four adaptable decks for the shipment of large rolling cargo, including loads of up to 250 tons and 6.5 meters in height.
Low fuel consumption
The ship is equipped with a state-of-the-art engine that guarantees fuel consumption among the lowest in its category and complies with the most demanding international environmental regulations. Thanks to its optimized design and the use of advanced technologies, the GRANDE AUCKLAND can reduce CO₂ emissions per unit transported by up to 50% compared to previous generation ships.
Furthermore, it has the Ammonia Ready certification granted by RINA (Registro Italiano Navale), which certifies that in the future it will be able to use ammonia as an alternative and carbon-free fuel. It also has the installation for ‘cold ironing’, which allows it to connect to the onshore power grid during port calls, thus avoiding the consumption of fossil fuels and reducing the environmental impact during its stay at the dock.
For Sebastiano Cirnigliaro, “the arrival of the GRANDE AUCKLAND in Vigo symbolizes a new chapter in our international expansion and a firm step towards the future of responsible and efficient navigation. This ship represents the perfect union between technology, innovation and environmental commitment and reinforces the role of Vigo as a key port within our global network”. Cirnigliaro also underlined the importance of the collaboration with the port of Vigo and highlighted the operational results achieved in recent periods. “Last year we operated nearly 143,000 vehicles through Vigo, which represents about 22% of all the port’s automobile traffic and in the first 9 months of the year our market share has grown from 21% to 28%”.
All this means that, as he added, “we have transported to date the same figures as in 2024 and if we continue like this, everything points to us closing the year exceeding 155,000 units, which reflects the solidity of our operations and the mutual trust between the Grimaldi group and Vigo.”
Asia-Europe Link Port
For his part, the president of the Vigo Port Authority, highlighted the high connectivity of the *ría* of Vigo which, thanks to Grimaldi, has turned Vigo into a link port for its new Asia-Europe chains dedicated to automotive, led by its two new ships: the GRANDE TIANJIN and the GRANDE AUCKLAND. “The inaugural call of the GRANDE AUCKLAND at our port is a milestone for Vigo, which is consolidated as a strategic node in the Grimaldi group’s automotive network and a gateway to Europe for vehicles coming from Asia,” emphasized the top port official.
At the same time, Carlos Botana highlighted the group’s commitment to new generation ships, with the capacity to load more than 9,000 vehicles, and prepared for the transition towards sustainable fuels. In this regard, he recalled that the *ría* of Vigo will have the necessary equipment for ships to be able to turn off their engines while docked, reducing their emissions into the atmosphere, in addition to its strong commitment to new fuels such as hydrogen, methanol, or ammonia. On the other hand, it is worth noting that, currently, the GRANDE AUCKLAND operates in the Asia-Europe service, one of the Grimaldi group’s strategic routes. On its inaugural voyage, it departed from the Chinese ports of Taicang and Lianyungang, with scheduled calls in Agadir and Tanger Med (Morocco), Vigo (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), and Southampton (United Kingdom). After completing the European leg, it will head to East Asia, where it will call at Réunion (Indian Ocean), Yokohama and Toyohashi (Japan), and Masan (South Korea).
The call at Vigo, where it will unload 120 Peugeots from China and load another 500 Stellantis for Japan, has a special meaning for the Grimaldi group, as it reinforces the port’s role as a strategic enclave in its Atlantic operations and as a key point for shipping new vehicles destined for the Asian market. With the arrival of the GRANDE AUCKLAND, the Grimaldi group advances in its plan for the renewal and expansion of a sustainable fleet, which foresees the incorporation of 17 additional Ammonia Ready PCTC vessels between 2025 and 2027, five of which have already been delivered.
