The Italian Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of its next Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC), the “Grande Seoul”. The ship sails on the Asia-Europe service.
The car freighter was built by the Chinese shipyards SWS (Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding) and CSTC (China Shipbuilding Trading Company). Both belong to the state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation, CSSC for short. The “Grande Seoul” (77,500 gt) is the ninth Grimaldi ship to be powered by ammonia in the future, which will significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
The ship is 200 meters long and 38 meters wide and has a loading capacity of 9,241 CEU. It is designed to transport cars (both electric and conventional fuel-powered) as well as any other rolling cargo, including heavy loads of up to 250 tons and a height of 6.5 meters. A total of four decks are available for this purpose.
Like its sister ships, the “Grande Seoul” is characterized not only by its high capacity, but also by an advanced environmental footprint, Grimaldi announced. “The CO₂ emission index per transported load has been significantly reduced compared to the previous generation of PCTC ships – by up to 50%,” the company stated. Grimaldi recently took delivery of the “Grande Michigan”, the eighth newbuild in the series, while the “Grande Manila” was delivered only a month earlier.
The ship’s propulsion system is said to have one of the “lowest specific fuel consumption in its class” and meet strict limits for CO2, NOx and SOx emissions. In addition, it has been awarded the “Ammonia Ready” mark by the Italian Register of Shipping (Rina), which confirms that it can be converted to ammonia as a CO₂-free alternative fuel in the future. It also has a shore power supply, which – if available – is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fuels in port.
The ship is named after the South Korean capital Seoul, which has been an integral part of Grimaldi’s global network since 2022. The company offers regular services between Europe and South Korea in both directions and connects the country to the world’s most important trade routes thanks to its extensive network of over 150 ports in 60 countries.
In the coming days, the “Grande Seoul” will leave China for its maiden voyage on the Asia-Europe service, with around 6,200 cars and around 1,600 linear meters of other rolling goods on board. The destinations are the ports of Antwerp, Portbury and Vigo.
“With the Grande Seoul, we are strengthening our fleet and further expanding our vehicle transport services between Asia and the rest of the world,” says Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group. “Thanks to significant investments in modern ships that combine high transport capacity with high environmental compatibility, we can offer our customers increasingly efficient and sustainable services on intercontinental routes.”
