The Italian shipowner, Grimaldi Group, has put in another order for the construction of three pure car truck carriers (PCTCs) at the Chinese Jinling shipyard for 2017 delivery, it announced today.
The value of the total investment is USD165 million and the agreement includes an option for another unit.
This news comes straight after the Group’s recent order for five PCTCs that was placed in June this year at Yangfan shipyard for 2017 delivery. The latter agreement has an option for another seven vessels and each will have a car capacity of 7,800, the company’s spokesperson told IHS Maritime today.
The three latest PCTC orders are planned to be employed on the Group’s regular service connecting the Mediterranean with North America to transport mainly brand new vehicles that are manufactured by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to meet US and Canadian market needs. The vessels will have the capacity to accommodate 6,700 cars on eight decks, four of which are hoistable.
“With this new order we will enhance the car carrier fleet of the Group, in order to satisfy the new market requirements,” said Gianluca Grimaldi, president of the Grimaldi Group.
With this order Grimaldi also aims to build on its relationship with the Jinling shipyard, which has recently built six ultra modern ice-class roro vessels for the Group, it said in a press release issued today.
On top of these orders Grimaldi has another five giant con/ro (roll-on/roll-off container vessel) ships on order for its subsidiary company Atlantic Container Line. The Chinese Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding is expected to deliver the vessels by 2016 with loading capacity of 3,800 teu, 28,900m² of rolling freight, and 1,307 cars each.
Two other con/ro vessels are also at the Korean Hyundai Mipo shipyard, according to IHS Maritime fleet data, and are the last of a series of six units built at this yard. They will be deployed on the Group’s Europe to West Africa service upon their delivery, expected by the end of this year.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
