Grimaldi Signs Deals in China for Ten Car Carriers and a Tenth Ferry

The Grimaldi Group advanced its fleet renewal program by signing letters of intent in China for the construction of ten new multipurpose car carrier vessels ranging from 10,000 to 11,000 CEU, and by ordering a tenth Ro-Pax ferry valued at EUR 160 million. With these deals, the Italian shipowner's naval investment plan now exceeds EUR 4,000 million.

The Naples-based shipping company signed a letter of intent with China Merchants to develop five multipurpose Pure Car Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels of 10,000 CEU each, while with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) it agreed on another five units of 11,000 CEU. Both designs include additional capacity for containers and rolling cargo. The engineering phase will take about six months, with deliveries scheduled for the 2030-2031 period.

In parallel, Grimaldi ordered a tenth Ro-Pax ferry from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), involving an investment of EUR 160 million, which will be assigned to its Spanish operator Trasmed. This vessel adds to the nine ro-pax ships ordered from the same shipyard in April 2025 for Grimaldi Lines, Minoan Lines and Finnlines, which are fitted with methanol-ready engines and are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030.

The agreements were signed by Dario Bocchetti, Grimaldi's Director of R&D, Energy and Decarbonization, and by Luigi Pacella Grimaldi, Intercontinental Automotive Director, and fall within the projects presented by the group during the Euromed Convention held in Sardinia in September. Emanuele Grimaldi noted that work is already underway on two separate projects, a new generation of ConRo vessels and another of multipurpose vessels, while negotiations continue with South Korea's Hyundai and China's China Merchants and GSI for a new series of G6-class con-ro vessels.