Gnv Polaris, the first of the four (plus four) new ro-pax ships delivered ten months ago by the Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International and which entered service in January on the Genoa-Palermo route, will shortly depart for the Far East.
The Genoese company confirmed this to SHIPPING ITALY, explaining that “Gnv Polaris is ready to depart for the Gsi shipyards in China, where it will undergo a major enhancement intervention that will significantly increase its capacity: the cabins will increase from the current 239 to 371. During the construction phase, a design variant, applied to all the new units, had already been planned to increase the overall capacity of each ship. Given the advanced state of completion of Gnv Polaris, it was decided to proceed with its rapid entry into service, thus guaranteeing the timely availability of this ship. The work will begin at the start of next year and the ship will return to Italy in time for the 2026 summer season,” concluded the company.
This choice allowed both new ships – Gnv Polaris and Gnv Orion – to be operational on the Genoa-Palermo route since last summer, significantly improving the offer and service for customers.
The ferry company controlled by MSC is also set to take delivery of Gnv Virgo by the end of the year, the third of eight newbuilds arriving and the first with dual fuel LNG propulsion.
