Grimaldi has grown its fleet of hybrid short-sea ro-ro vessels to 14 with the addition of the Eco Napoli

Grimaldi has taken delivery of its latest emission-cutting, short-sea ro-ro vessel – Eco Napoli – from Jinling shipyard in China. The vessel is the 14^th to join its fleet of Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G)-class ships and will arrive in the Mediterranean in early May with a mix of cargo, including cars, vans, trucks and agricultural machines. It will then be used will then be used to strengthen Grimaldi’s ro-ro connection between the ports of Gemlik and Ambarli (Turkey), Patras (Greece) and Trieste (Italy). Grimaldi added the Turkish port of Gemlik to its ports of call in January this year. 

The Eco Napoli features an exhaust gas cleaning system and a 5MWh lithium battery for powering the vessel while at berth. The battery is charged at sea using shaft generators and 350 sq.m of solar panels on the vessel. Grimaldi said “numerous highly innovative technological solutions [optimised] the ship’s fuel consumption and performance”, halving carbon emissions per unit.

The 238-metre Eco Napoli can carry 7,800 linear metres of rolling freight, equivalent to 500 trailers and 180 cars.

“With the arrival of the Eco Napoli, the GG5G fleet is finally complete: 14 hybrid ro-ro units, with a total value exceeding $1 billion, which in recent years have revolutionised short-sea transport in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe,” stated Emanuele Grimaldi, managing director of the Naples-based group. He added that the vessels offered more capacity, efficiency and sustainability in its Motorways of the Sea offering.

The final addition to the GG5G fleet of vessels follows the delivery in December last year of the Eco Salerno. Grimaldi Group is investing in a massive programme of hybrid ships with a unique technology that allows zero emissions in port.

In February this year Grimaldi the company also outlined its growth in services for EV shipments from China to Europe, including the deployment pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) to meet the demands of various Chinese manufacturers exporting to Europe and other global locations.