Grimaldi Receives Sixth and Final Vessel in G5 Series

By Simon West

Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of the Great Cotonou, the sixth and final vessel in its new G5-class multipurpose roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) fleet.

The Great Cotonou was delivered in late-December at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard at Ulsan, South Korea. The Italy-based car carrier said the ship would debut alongside a sister vessel on a new China-to-Nigeria route beginning in January. The monthly service would facilitate the shipment of rolling cargo and containers from China with transhipment at the Grimaldi-owned PTML terminal in Lagos for delivery to key West African and Brazilian ports.

All six vessels in the G5 series were commissioned from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in 2021 and are an upgrade on the G4 fleet built by the same shipyard and delivered to Grimaldi in 2014 and 2015.

The vessels are 250 meters long, with a beam of 38 meters and deadweight of 45,684 tonnes. Each is capable of transporting 4,700 linear meters of rolling freight, 2,500 car equivalent units (CEUs) and 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The 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 transports rolling cargo, containers, project cargo, breakbulk and passengers, said the G5 series would reduce carbon emissions by up to 43% compared with its prior models.

“We are proud to offer our customers an increasingly extensive network of services that stand out for their high transport capacity and environmental sustainability, thanks to our increasingly young and cutting-edge fleet,” said Gian Luca Grimaldi, president of Grimaldi Group.


Grimaldi Group is an exhibitor at Breakbulk Europe.