Grimaldi's first new PCTC sets sail
The first unit of a series of seven sister vessels ordered by the Neapolitan group Grimaldi is entering service. The pure car & truck carrier “Grande Torino” of the Grimaldi Group was recently christened in the Italian port of Civitavecchia.
The godmother of the ship, Cristina Chiabotto, Miss Italy 2004 and TV host, broke the obligatory bottle, while Monsignor Cono Firringa, parish priest of the cathedral of Civitavecchia, blessed the vessel.
“Today we welcome the new flagship of our group for the transport of cars, which represents a further and significant step forward in the direction of an increasingly eco-friendly fleet, which guarantees truly sustainable maritime transport: the “Grande Torino” is fitted with an electronically-controlled main engine, as well as with a hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, MD of the Grimaldi Group.
“The name of the ship refers to the city where Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has its headquarters." The car manufacturer is an old client of the Neapolitan shipping group. The vessel has a length of 199.90 m, a beam of 36.45 m, a gross tonnage of 65,255 t and a service speed of 19 knots. The ship, which flies the Italian flag, can transport approximately 7,700 ceu (car equivalent units) or, alternatively, 5,400 m of rolling units and 2,737 ceu.
The “Grande Torino” will be deployed on the weekly ro-ro service operated by the Grimaldi Group between the Mediterranean Sea and North America. She will serve the following ports: Gioia Tauro, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Savona (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), Halifax (Canada), Davisville, New York, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Houston (USA), Tuxpan and Veracruz (Mexico). (fd)