Naples, Italy | October 24, 2025 — The Grimaldi Group has officially welcomed its latest next-generation car carrier, the Grande Melbourne, following a naming and delivery ceremony held on 22 October at the Port of Shanghai. The vessel, built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited (CSTC) — both subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC) — marks the third ship in a seven-vessel series of ammonia-ready Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs) commissioned by the Italian shipping group.
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Grande Melbourne: A New Benchmark in Sustainable Vehicle Transport
With a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tons, the Grande Melbourne has been purpose-built for efficient and flexible transport of vehicles and rolling cargo. Her design enables the carriage of 9,241 Car Equivalent Units (CEU) across multiple decks, four of which are adaptable for heavy and oversized loads — capable of handling cargoes up to 250 tons and 6.5 meters high.
This makes the Grande Melbourne ideally suited for transporting not only cars, SUVs, and vans — both traditional and electric — but also industrial machinery, buses, and agricultural vehicles.
Ceremony and Industry Collaboration
The naming ceremony brought together representatives from shipbuilding, logistics, and automotive industries. Attendees included:
- Xu Sha, Deputy General Manager of SWS
- Luigi Pacella Grimaldi, Automotive Intercontinental Director, Grimaldi Group
- Representatives from Scania, a leading provider of inland transport solutions
- Xu Huayan, Director of Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal Co., Ltd., who served as the godmother of the Grande Melbourne — symbolizing the long-standing partnership between Grimaldi and the terminal operator.
“Our new-generation PCTCs are setting a new standard in the global transport of vehicles across key trade routes, especially those connecting Asia with the rest of the world,” stated Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group. “Once again, we thank SWS for their excellent work in constructing the Grande Melbourne and her sister ships. We are also deeply grateful to long-term customers like Scania for recognizing our commitment to delivering increasingly efficient and sustainable transport services worldwide.”
Maiden Voyage on the Asia–Europe Route
The Grande Melbourne is set to embark on her maiden voyage later this month, operating on Grimaldi’s Asia–Europe service. Her itinerary includes cargo operations at the ports of Taicang and Xiaomo in China, and Laem Chabang in Thailand, before departing for Northern Europe.
On board, she will carry around 5,900 cars and 800 linear meters of rolling cargo, including wheel loaders, excavators, tractors, and buses.
Her planned ports of call include Southampton, Antwerp, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, Setubal, and Tanger Med, before continuing her route to Reunion, India, the Persian Gulf, Taiwan, and finally returning to China.
Innovative Design and Green Technology
Named after the Australian port city of Melbourne, which has been part of Grimaldi’s Europe–Oceania service since 2023, the vessel embodies the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency.
The Grande Melbourne features:
- A state-of-the-art electronic main engine, offering one of the lowest specific fuel consumptions in its class.
- Compliance with the strictest CO₂, NOx, and SOx emission standards.
- A “RINA Ammonia Ready” notation, confirming that the vessel can be converted to operate on ammonia fuel in the future — a key step toward zero-carbon shipping.
- Cold ironing capability (shore power connection), enabling her to operate emission-free while berthed in ports equipped with onshore energy systems.
These design features allow the Grande Melbourne to reduce CO₂ emissions per transported cargo by up to 50% compared with earlier PCTC generations — setting a new industry benchmark in sustainable automotive transport.
Driving the Future of Green Maritime Logistics
The delivery of the Grande Melbourne underscores the Grimaldi Group’s strategic investment in next-generation, alternative-fuel-ready tonnage, designed to meet evolving global environmental regulations and customer expectations.
As the Group continues to expand its fleet of ammonia-ready and methanol-ready vessels, it reinforces its role as a global leader in low-emission maritime logistics, connecting major automotive and industrial hubs across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
About Grimaldi Group
The Grimaldi Group, established in 1947 and wholly owned by the Grimaldi family, is an integrated multinational logistics company and a global leader in the maritime transport sector. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, the Group specializes in the transport of cars, rolling cargo (Ro-Ro), containers, and passengers (Motorways of the Sea).
Grimaldi Group operates an extensive global network across 150 ports and 5 continents with a fleet of over 130 vessels, complemented by its own 20 port terminals and logistics companies. Key subsidiaries like Finnlines (Baltic Sea) and Minoan Lines (Greece) extend its specialized services, confirming its status as Italy’s biggest shipowning group and the world’s leading operator for rolling freight.
Source Grimaldi Group SpA