The Italian car carrier shipping company Grimaldi has christened the ship “Grande Svezia” in Wallhamn, Sweden. It is designed for future operation with ammonia.
The ship – named after the Italian name for Sweden – was presented to customers and partners of the shipping company as part of the christening ceremony. The Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) was delivered in December last year. The “Grande Svezia” is part of Grimaldi’s “Ammonia-Ready” fleet. Like her sister ships, including the most recently delivered “Grande Seoul” and “Grande Toyko”, she is to be operated with ammonia in future.
Sweden has been a regular destination for Grimaldi ships for more than 30 years. Wallhamn, north of Gothenburg, is also the only privately run port in Sweden and is managed by Grimaldi. The port is part of the Grimaldi Group’s “EuroMed” service – on which the “Grande Svezia” also sails – which regularly connects the most important ports in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
Following the ship’s blessing, the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed by the new car carrier’s godmother, Francesca Gamboni (Chief Industrial Operations Officer at Volvo Cars). Built at the shipyard of China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu, the “Grande Svezia” (91,611 GT) is 220 m long and 38 m wide; her service speed is 18 knots. It can carry both electrically and conventionally powered vehicles on its 14 decks, with a maximum capacity of 9,000 CEU.
Grimaldi’s new series currently comprises 11 vessels, with a further six to be delivered by 2027. In order to operate emission-free in port, the vessel is equipped with lithium batteries with a total capacity of 5 MWh as well as shore power connection capability (cold ironing).
Other sustainability features include 2,500 m2 of solar panels, silicone-based hull coatings to reduce drag, intelligent systems to optimize ventilation and air conditioning and advanced exhaust gas purification systems that significantly reduce SOx, NOx and particulate matter emissions. An air lubrication system, an optimized hull design and an innovative gate rudder also increase propulsion efficiency and manoeuvrability. Compared to previous generations of car carriers, this ship enables a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 50%, Grimaldi announced.
