Italian ocean ro-ro provider, Grimaldi Group, has set up a service between Italy and Mexico dedicated to carrying vehicles, rolling freight and project cargo.
The service connects the Italian ports of Civitavecchia and Savona with the port of Veracruz in Mexico. It will run via Turkey’s port of Gemlik and ports in North America, including the port of Halifax in Canada and the US ports of New York and New Jersey, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Houston.
Grimaldi said it was the first regular link between the Mediterranean and North America for rolling freight. It will take 20 days between Italy and Mexico (and 12 days to North America).
"The target of the service is mainly rolling units moving between the Mediterranean, the US, Canada and Mexico, including new cars from various brands," a spokesperson for Grimaldi told Automotive Logistics.
The service offers room for 3,000 vehicle units and 3,000 linear metres of rolling freight and will use five pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs).
"Mexico is a market which reveals a significant potential and has attracted important foreign investments in various sectors," said Emanuele Grimaldi (pictured), managing director of the Grimaldi Group. "The inclusion of a regular call in the port of Veracruz, one of the major ports in the country, is an absolute innovation in which we have chosen to invest to support import/export trades with Italy and the rest of Europe thanks to our wide network of services."
The ro-ro provider established a service between the port of Civitavecchia and other ports in Europe with the ports of Baltimore and Halifax back in 2015, employing four vessels.
Civitavecchia port handled more than 224,000 vehicles last year while Veracruz saw vehicle throughput of over 770,700.
Look out for more details on vehicle handling at Veracruz and other leading vehicle ports in North America in the next edition of Finished Vehicle Logistics magazine.
