As part of its fleet expansion and renewal programme, the Grimaldi Group has commissioned the construction of nine ro-pax vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), worth a total of US$ 1.3bn.
The new ships have been designed to elevate the quality of maritime transport for both rolling cargo and passengers in the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea. All nine will be equipped with engines capable of running on methanol, making them ready to achieve the ‘Net Zero Emission’ target. They are intended to combine transport capacity, innovative design and onboard comfort, aligned with environmental sustainability.
Four of the new vessels will sail under the Italian flag and be operated under the Grimaldi Lines brand, while two, under the Greek flag, will be deployed by the Greek subsidiary Minoan Lines. These six sister ships belong to the ‘Next Generation Med’ class and will serve routes in the Mediterranean. The other three will be delivered to Finnlines, sail under the Finnish flag and inaugurate the ‘Hansa Superstar’ class – an evolution of the current Superstar series – intended for routes in the Baltic Sea.
All nine ships will be delivered between 2028 and 2030 and will feature green technology measures including optimised hull and propeller designs, energy-efficient onboard power management systems (both at sea and in port), shore power readiness and the application of silicon-based hull coatings. These are expected to reduce CO₂ emissions per transported cargo unit by more than 50% compared to vessels currently operating on the same routes.
With length of 229m, the new Mediterranean ro-pax vessels will have a cargo capacity of 3,300 lane metres for rolling freight and over 300 cars. They will accommodate up to 2,500 passengers, in more than 300 cabins, plus about 700 reclining seats. This new generation of vessels is said to mark a breakthrough in energy efficiency: the six ‘Next Generation Med’ ships will be the first in the Mediterranean designed to run on methanol.
The three new builds designated for the Baltic Sea, they will be 240m long, with a cargo capacity of 5,100 lane metres for rolling freight plus 90 cars, and accommodation in 320 cabins for up to 1,100 passengers. The new design is based on Finnlines’ Superstar-class vessels, Finnsirius and Finncanopus, but has been adapted for the Finland-Germany route.
Miao Jianmin, President, China Merchants Group, said: “China Merchants Industry Group and the Grimaldi Group have always been adhering to the concept of ‘innovation-driven, quality first’, making breakthroughs in green ship technology and intelligent shipping, and jointly defining a new benchmark in ro-pax vessels. As a leader in high-end equipment manufacturing in China, China Merchants Industry Group and CMI Weihai Shipyard will bring together a top R&D team, lean manufacturing system and full life cycle service system to ensure high-quality project delivery and help Grimaldi further consolidate its leading position in the European and global ro-ro shipping market. China Merchants Industry is willing to continue to work with the Grimaldi Group to deepen cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as zero-carbon fuel and smart ships and jointly provide more efficient and sustainable shipping solutions for global customers.”
Emanuele Grimaldi, MD Grimaldi Group, added: “With the order of these nine extraordinary ro-pax vessels, we continue and strengthen our long, successful alliance with China Merchants Group, an outstanding partner for the building of cutting-edge ships. The new ‘Next Generation Med’ and ‘Hansa Superstar’ classes are the result of a thorough study of our customers’ needs and, more broadly, those of shipping. Today more than ever, the latter requires quality, efficiency and environmental sustainability to remain a key mode of national and international freight and passenger transport. In particular, the exceptional performance in CO₂ emission reduction and the use of methanol as an alternative fuel bring our group even closer to the global goal of net-zero emissions, further solidifying our position as a leading player in short-sea transport in the Mediterranean and Baltic regions.”
Image: ‘Next Generation Med’ class ro-pax (credit: Grimaldi Group)
