Another “ammonia-ready” ship for the strengthening of the vehicle transport of the Neapolitan group. Its inaugural voyage on the regular service between Asia and the Persian Gulf will begin shortly.
Naples – The christening and delivery ceremony of the Grande Istanbul was held in Shanghai, the fourth of the seven ammonia-ready Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) ships commissioned to the shipyards Sws (Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited) and Cstc (China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited) – both part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (Cssc).
With its 200 meters in length, 38 meters in width and a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tonnes, the Grande Istanbul was designed for the transport of vehicles— cars, SUVs, vans, both electric and powered by traditional fuels— as well as other types of rolling cargo. The ship offers a loading capacity equal to 9,241 ceu (car equivalent unit) and has four decks also used for transporting large rolling goods, including heavy loads up to 250 tonnes and with a maximum height of 6.5 meters.
Present at the christening and delivery ceremony were, among others, Zhang Wei, vice president of Sws, Luigi Pacella Grimaldi, automotive intercontinental director of the Grimaldi group, and representatives of SANY, a Chinese company active in the production of heavy machinery and equipment for construction, extraction, infrastructure and industry, which uses the Grimaldi group’s transport services from China to various ports in Africa, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Persian Gulf. As a testament to a partnership of growing solidity and importance, Chunyan Yuan, vice president of Sany Group, participated in the event as the godmother of the Grande Istanbul.
The new ship is already ready for its inaugural voyage on the Grimaldi Group’s regular East Asia – Persian Gulf service. In the coming days, a total of over 2,000 cars, approximately 1,000 vans and 4,800 linear meters of other rolling cargo (including cranes, trailers, trucks, excavators and breakbulk cargo) will depart from the Chinese ports of Taicang and Ningbo bound for Jebel Ali, in the United Arab Emirates.
“We are proud of how our investments in new ships are translating into service enhancement and value for our customers like Sany, with whom we continue to grow in the name of efficiency and sustainability,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of the Grimaldi group. “With large, modern and eco-friendly units like the Grande Istanbul, we are making a concrete contribution to the development of key trades such as those to and from Asia, responding to the growing demand for reliable and high-quality connections.”
The name of the Grande Istanbul is a tribute to one of the main cities of Turkey.
For years, Grimaldi Group ships have served several ports in the country (Ambarli, Autoport, Derince, Gemlik, Izmir and Yenikoy), as part of regular connections dedicated to the transport of vehicles and other rolling stock in the Mediterranean and to/from Northern Europe.
The new ship is equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic engine, characterized by one of the lowest specific fuel consumptions in its category, and complies with the most stringent international limits on CO₂, NOx and SOx emissions.
In particular, thanks to its dimensions that maximize cargo capacity, the proven ship design, design innovations and state-of-the-art systems, the Grande Istanbul significantly reduces the CO2 emission index per cargo transported – by up to 50% compared to that of the previous generation PCTC units.
Furthermore, the Grande Istanbul has obtained the Ammonia Ready class notation from Rina (Italian Naval Register), which certifies that it can be converted at a later stage to use ammonia as a zero-carbon emission alternative fuel. It is also equipped with the provision for cold ironing, i.e., the possibility of being powered by electricity from shore during port stays, which constitutes, where available, a green alternative to the consumption of traditional fuels.
