Grimaldi: «Investiremo 3 miliardi sulle navi del futuro»

Emanuele Grimaldi, the head of the Grimaldi shipping group, opened the XXVII Euromed Convention From Land to Sea in Sardinia, announcing significant investments in the future of their fleet. Grimaldi revealed that the group intends to spend around 3 billion euros on two major projects: a new generation of container and ro-ro ships, and a new generation of multipurpose vessels.

The company's research and development department is already working on the most innovative solutions to make these vessels the most flexible and technologically advanced in their respective segments. Grimaldi added that the investment could exceed 3 billion euros, and the orders could be finalized by the end of the year. He also mentioned a meeting with Miao Jianmin, the president of China Merchant Group, one of the world's largest shipyards, where they discussed both existing and future projects.

Grimaldi emphasized that despite increasing geopolitical tensions and the threat of stricter trade barriers, there are now over 30 ships operating in the company's Asian network, connecting Europe, Africa, and even Latin America and Oceania. He highlighted the company's expansion in Asia, particularly in India and Japan, supporting global growth.

Two years ago, at a convention in Athens, Grimaldi announced plans to evaluate orders for nine more ro-pax ships, which has now become one of the largest orders in the company's history, with an investment of about 1.5 billion dollars. Six of these ships will operate in the Mediterranean under the Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines brands, while three will join Finnlines in the Baltic Sea, with deliveries planned between 2028 and 2030.

These ships are expected to reduce CO2 emissions per unit of cargo by more than 50% compared to the ships they will replace. Grimaldi added that these ships will also be ready to use future fuel options even with conventional fuels. In the past 24 months, the company has taken delivery of 14 ammonia-ready Pctc ships, bringing the total to 17 by April 2027.

Grimaldi concluded that while their environmental performance cannot wait for these fuels, they have designed the vessels to achieve the lowest emissions per transported unit in the world even with conventional fuels.