This new ammonia-ready car carrier is ready to begin her maiden voyage on the Group’s Asia-Europe service, transporting thousands of cars and other rolling cargo.
Naples, 24 October 2025
On 22 October, the port of Shanghai hosted a special ceremony for the official naming and delivery of the Grimaldi Group’s latest vessel, the Grande Melbourne. This is the third of a series of seven cutting-edge, ammonia-ready Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) ships commissioned to Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited (CSTC), both subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).
With a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tons, the Grande Melbourne has been designed for efficient transport of vehicles (cars, SUVs, vans, etc.), both electric and powered by traditional fuels, as well as any other type of rolling cargo. Specifically, she has a loading capacity of 9,241 CEU (Car Equivalent Units), with four decks also capable of carrying other rolling cargo, including heavy loads of up to 250 tons and as high as 6.5 meters.
Participants in the vessel’s naming and delivery ceremony event included, among others, Xu Sha, Deputy General Manager of SWS, Luigi Pacella Grimaldi, Automotive Intercontinental Director of the Grimaldi Group, representatives from the world-leading provider of inland transport solutions Scania and Xu Huayan, Director of Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal Co.,Ltd. As a sign of the strong cooperation between the Grimaldi Group and Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal, Xu Huayan acted as the godmother of the Grande Melbourne.
“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”.
As part of her maiden voyage on the Grimaldi Group’s Asia-Europe service, the Grande Melbourne is scheduled to depart from Asia later this month, following cargo operations in China – at the ports of Taicang and Xiaomo – and in Thailand, at Laem Chabang. On board, she will carry around 5,900 cars and 800 linear meters of rolling cargo (wheel loaders, excavators, tractors, buses) bound for Northern Europe.
After calling at several ports in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean – including Southampton, Antwerp, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, Setubal, and Tanger Med – the vessel will continue her voyage towards Reunion, India and the Persian Gulf, before reaching Taiwan and returning to China.
The latest addition to the Grimaldi Group’s fleet is named after the city of Melbourne, Australia. Since 2023, this port is part of the regular monthly service dedicated to the transport of rolling cargo from Europe to Oceania.
The vessel is equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic engine, which offers 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, thanks to her size – which maximizes loading capacity – proven ship design, innovative features, and state-of-the-art systems, the Grande Melbourne reduces the CO₂ emissions index per transported cargo by up to 50% compared to previous-generation PCTC vessels.
Additionally, she has received the “Ammonia Ready” class notation from RINA (Italian Naval Register), certifying that she can be converted in the future to use ammonia as a zero-carbon alternative fuel. She 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.
The Grimaldi Group, headquartered in Naples, operates a fleet of over 130 vessels and employs approximately 21,000 people. Wholly owned by the Grimaldi family, it is a multinational logistics Group specialized in the operation of /roll-off vessels, car carriers and ferries. It comprises seven shipping companies, namely: Grimaldi Deep Sea, operating in the transport of rolling cargo and containers on the Atlantic routes and between the Mediterranean and West Africa; Grimaldi Euromed, specialists in the transport of rolling freight in Europe, in the Motorways of the Sea and in passenger transport in the Mediterranean with the Grimaldi Lines brand; Atlantic Container Line, which offers transport services for containers and rolling cargo between North America and Northern Europe; Malta Motorways of the Sea, whose vessels connect Malta to the main ports in the Mediterranean; Minoan Lines, operating in Greek cabotage for the transport of freight and passengers; Finnlines, carrying freight and passengers in the North and Baltic Sea; and Trasmed GLE, active in the transport of freight and passengers between mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.
These maritime connections are the core of an advanced logistics chain, which includes port terminals and road transport companies. The 20-plus ports and terminals operated by the Grimaldi Group are located in 13 countries: Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria and Benin. Most of these terminals are fitted with Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) facilities, warehouses and workshops.
