Italy’s Grimaldi Group is planning a new round of shipbuilding plans to expand its already $2.5 billion (about RMB 18.085 billion) investment in new shipbuilding.
Grimaldi Group to order nine more next-generation ro-ro vessels
Grimaldi Group plans to invest in the construction of nine new-generation ro-ro vessels and is working with Danish ship design company Knud E. Hansen on the development and design of the vessels to determine the exact type and size, according to a Trade Winds. Grimaldi group will soon make an inquiry to the shipyard and determine the shipyard based on the final evaluation., the report said.
The global order book for car carriers has reached about 200, but this does not seem to have an impact on the Grimaldi Group’s newbuilding investments. Emanuele Grimaldi, managing director of the Grimaldi Group, believes that the group currently has at least 10 vessels approaching the age of retirement and is confident that it can withstand the impact of investment fluctuations in the new shipbuilding market. If the market goes down, some of the older vessels will be scrapped; conversely, the relevant vessels will continue to operate under appropriate conditions.
Chinese shipyards are the “main force” in building 27 new vessels at a cost of $2.5 billion
It is understood that the Grimaldi Group has spent $2.5 billion to invest in the construction of 27 new vessels, including 17 ammonia reserved car carriers, 6 G5 series multi-purpose ro-ro vessels, 2 GG5G series hybrid ro-ro vessels, and 2 Superstar series hybrid cruise-class high-end ro-ro vessels. Except for the six G5 series multi-purpose ro-ro vessels, the remaining 21 vessels were built by Chinese shipyards.
The 17 ammonia reserved car carriers are understood to be built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for 10 and 7 vessels respectively. On October 20, 2022, Grimaldi Group signed a contract with China Merchants Heavy Industries (Jiangsu) for the construction of 5+5 9,000 CEU ammonia reserved car carriers, with an option order taking effect on January 20, 2023, with a total value of about $1.0 billion, and the first five units are expected to be delivered in 2025 to 2026. SWS announced an order for 5+2 new vessels in January 2023, with option taking effect in May of the same year, with a total value of over $630 million.
Six multi-purpose ro-ro vessels of the G5 series are being built by the Korean shipyard HD Hyundai Mipo, with a total order value of more than $500 million, and four news hipbuildings have been delivered so far. Compared to the G4 series, the new vessels have the same ro-ro capacity but double the container capacity.
The 2 GG5G series hybrid ro-ro vessels are being built by China Merchants Industry Jinling (Nanjing), and the two parties signed a shipbuilding contract in the fourth quarter of 2022, with delivery expected in 2025. With an overall length of 238 meters and a width of 34 meters, this type of vessel is one of the largest ro-ro vessels in the world for short-distance operations.
The 2 Superstar series hybrid cruise class premium ro-ro vessels were built by China Merchants Jingling Shipyard (Weihai)( CMJL (Weihai)) for Finnlines, a subsidiary of the Grimaldi Group, with a shipbuilding contract signed between the two parties in 2020, and the new vessels have been fully completed and delivered in 2023.
According to the information, Grimaldi Group, founded in 1947, is a private Italian ship-owning company owned by the Grimaldi family. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, it is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive multinational logistics groups, with a fleet of about 130 vessels.
