Series of Six RoRo Vessels Slated to Enter Service in 2023, 2024
Belgium-based car carrier Grimaldi Group has launched the first two in a series of six new “G5” class multipurpose RoRo vessels.
The first vessel to be inaugurated at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard at Ulsan in South Korea was Great Antwerp – named after the group’s European main hub – followed two days later by sister ship, Great Lagos. The remaining four units are slated for delivery between 2023 and 2024 and will be deployed for maritime services between Northern Europe and West Africa.
All six vessels were commissioned from the Korean shipbuilder two years ago, and are an upgrade on the “G4” RoRo multipurpose vessels built by the same shipyard and delivered to Grimaldi in 2014 and 2015.
Speaking at the inauguration of Great Antwerp, Guido Grimaldi, deep sea commercial and operations director of the Grimaldi Group, said the delivery of the first vessel marked the beginning of a new era for the company. “After the success of our five G3-class, six G4-class, as well as 10 Eurocargo-class ships, all built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, we now inaugurate a new class of RoRo multipurpose vessels,” he said.
“This new series of ships responds even more efficiently to the demand for quality transport services on deep sea routes, and to the needs related to the protection of the environment. We are thus taking a further important step within a path undertaken for several years now, aiming to operate on our main routes with a modern and eco-sustainable fleet.”
Each vessel in the G5 series is 250 metres long, with a beam of 38 metres and deadweight of 45,684 tonnes. Each is capable of transporting 4,700 linear metres of rolling freight, 2,500 Car Equivalent Units, or CEUs, and 2,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units, or TEUs.
The new series is also more sustainable compared with its predecessors, with the main engine and auxiliary diesel generators meeting the NOx levels imposed by Tier III regulations and the integrated propulsion system between rudder and propeller minimizing vortex losses.
The vessels boast variable frequency drive devices for onboard machinery, and low friction paints to reduce hull resistance. The ships are designed for cold ironing with shoreside supply of electricity as a green alternative to the consumption of fossil fuels during port stays.
Grimaldi, which also ships rolling cargo, containers, project cargo, breakbulk and passengers, said the new series would reduce carbon emissions by up to 43 percent compared with its prior models.
Grimaldi will be exhibiting at Breakbulk Europe 2023, taking place on 6-8 June at Rotterdam Ahoy. Reserve your tickets here, then come meet the Grimaldi team in Hall 1, 1L40 (Maritime Transport Zone).
