Grimaldi has taken delivery of its latest newbuild ro-ro vessel, Eco Catania, in Nanjing (China) – the fifth of 12 hybrid ro-ro units comprising the Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) series ordered from Jinling Shipyard.
Grimaldi brought the fourth newbuild in the series – Eco Savona – into service earlier this year, as HLPFI reported here.
Just like its four sister vessels already in service, Eco Catania has a length of 238 m, a beam of 34 m and a gross tonnage of 67,311 tonnes. The vessels in the series can transport over 7,800 linear metres of rolling cargo, equivalent to about 500 trailers.
If compared the previous series of ro-ro vessels deployed by the Grimaldi Group for short-sea shipping, the new ships can accommodate double the load on their seven decks, two of which are hoistable. The quarter stern ramp allows the loading of freight units weighing up to 150 tonnes.
During port stays, emissions are reduced to near zero as the ships can use electrical energy stored by lithium batteries, which are recharged during navigation with the help of shaft generators and 350 sq m of solar panels. The ships also come equipped with state-of-the-art electronically controlled engines and an exhaust gas cleaning system for the abatement of sulphur and particulate emissions, Grimaldi added.
Emanuele Grimaldi, managing director of the Grimaldi Group, said that Eco Catania will be deployed between Sicily, mainland Italy, and Malta.
