Grimaldi Group Adds Five More Ammonia-Ready Vehicle Carriers

The ships will be built by China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu. Image Credit: Grimaldi Group

Italian shipping firm Grimaldi Group is set to add five more vessels capable of being converted to run on ammonia to its fleet.

The firm has exercised its option to add five more ammonia-ready pure car and truck carriers to its order of a previous five vessels in October, it said in a statement on its website on Monday. The new order takes its ammonia-ready PCTC orderbook to 15 vessels.

The ships will be built by China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu.

The ammonia-ready notation, to be certified by RINA, means the vessels' design is suitable for conversion to ammonia propulsion at a later date, usually indicating that the design incorporates enough space for the larger fuel tanks needed.

The new ships will also be equipped with battery systems, solar panels, shore power connections, air lubrication systems and and an optimised hull design.

The company expects the new vessels to have 50% lower fuel consumption than its previous generation of car carriers.

"With our recent orders for the construction of new PCTC vessels, we've strengthened our long lasting and fruitful collaboration with China Merchant Industry Holdings," Emanuele Grimaldi, managing director of Grimaldi Group, said in the statement.

"We've also reaffirmed our commitment to our customers, especially the world's leading car manufacturers who continue to reward us with their trust.

"In this way, we'll continue to live up to their high expectations and meet their evolving needs, with our offer of increasingly efficient and environmentally sustainable shipping services."