“Eco Italia” joins Grimaldi fleet

Naples - The 12th hybrid ro-ro ship of the Grimaldi Green 5th Generation class (GG5G) was delivered this morning from the Chinese Jinling shipyard in Nanjing. It is called “Eco Italia”, and like the 11 twins already employed in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, it is one of the largest and most eco-friendly ro-ro units in the world for short sea shipping: “Eco Italia” flies the Italian flag, is 238 meters long and 34 meters wide, has a gross tonnage of 67,311 tons and a cruising speed of 20.8 knots.

The load capacity of its seven decks, two of which mobile, is double that of the previous class of ro-ro ships used by the Grimaldi Group for the transport of short-range goods: the ship can in fact carry 7,800 linear meters of units. rolling stock, equal to approximately 500 trailers and 180 cars.

However, the increase in capacity does not affect fuel consumption, thanks to the adoption of numerous highly innovative technological solutions that optimize the ship's fuel consumption and performance: in fact, at the same speed, "Eco Italia” consumes the same amount of fuel compared to to ro-ro ships of the previous generation, and is therefore able to halve CO2 emissions per unit transported: “Eco Italia” is equipped with the latest generation electronically controlled engines and an exhaust gas purification system for the abatement of sulfur and particulate emissions.

In addition, while it is stationary on the quay, the ship reaches the "Zero emission in port" objective: during port operations, "Eco Italia” in fact uses the electricity stored by mega lithium batteries with a total power of 5 MWh which they are recharged during navigation thanks to shaft generators and 350 m2 of solar panels: "With their very high operational and environmental performance, our 'Eco' ships are revolutionizing short sea shipping in Europe, - declared Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of the Neapolitan group. – We will continue to invest in this green revolution, as recently confirmed with the order of two more units of the GG5G class, to be delivered by 2025". Upon its arrival in Italy, scheduled for the end of November, the Eco Italia will be used in the network of motorways of the sea operated by the Group in the Western Mediterranean.