Grimaldi: 'we want to be pioneers, but we need the technology, fuels and logistics to develop'

Grimaldi Group has commissioned the construction of nine ropax vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), a China Merchants Group company, in a deal worth about US$1.5Bn. 

All nine will be equipped with engines capable of running on methanol, making them ready to achieve the net-zero emissions goal as soon as green fuels are available at a competitive price. 

Four vessels will sail under the Italian flag and be operated under the Grimaldi Lines brand, while two will be deployed by the Greek subsidiary Minoan Lines. These six sister ships belong to the Next Generation Med class and will serve routes in the Mediterranean. The other three will be delivered to Finnlines, sailing under the Finland flag and are intended for routes in the Baltic Sea between Helsinki and Travemünde. 

All nine ships will be delivered between 2028 and 2030. 

Grimaldi Group R&D, energy and decarbonisation director, Dario Bocchetti, highlighted that the vessels are methanol capable, a step up from other methanol-ready newbuilds, as it means they are ready to use methanol as soon as the green fuel is available at a competitive price. Mr Bocchetti said, “We are looking into distribution and supply. If the industry can develop competitive logistics, then we can use methanol.” 

The ferries can also run on diesel and biofuel. Mr Bocchetti said, “We want to be flexible as an alternative fuels supply chain is still under development. We will have to see how incentives and rules help to close the gap with the new fuel, as it will be very expensive. We try to be ready, but we cannot decide the market 100% ourselves. We want to be pioneers and ambitious, but we need the technology, fuel and logistics to develop at the same time, with proper help with the regulatory side, to create a global framework to help fill the gap.” 

Explaining the drivers behind the newbuilding programme, Mr Bocchetti said, “Grimaldi has a huge newbuilding programme to keep our fleet very young. One side is to follow regulations, and another side is to improve standards, quality and technology, keeping the fleet young.”  

While the ships are being built in China, all the technology is coming from European manufacturers, from batteries to engines.  

They will feature technology innovations, including optimised hull and propeller designs, energy-efficient onboard power management systems, for both at sea and in port, shore power readiness and will have silicon-based hull coatings applied. The sum of all the above technologies will reduce CO2 emissions per transported cargo unit by more than 50% compared with vessels currently operating on the same routes. 

With a length of 229 m, the new Mediterranean ropax vessels will have a cargo capacity of 3,300 lane metres for rolling freight and more than 300 cars. They can accommodate up to 2,500 passengers, offering more than 300 cabins, for a total of over 1,200 guests, and approximately 700 reclining seats. 

In parallel to the methanol ropax ferries, the company has a newbuild programme that spans 17 ammonia-ready PCTC vessels. Mr Bocchetti said, “Their design is a step behind the methanol-capable ropaxes, as the ammonia dual-fuel engines are not yet available and the technology still needs some development.”  

Grimaldi has established a clear path – ammonia is slated towards its cargo vessels, while methanol is the fuel of choice for its passenger ferries, due to the different density, storage characteristics and safety aspects. Elsewhere, it sees biofuels as a solution for existing ships. Mr Bocchetti said, “We see biofuel gathering momentum from this year in connection with the Fuel EU Maritime regulation. We see biofuel as a more reasonable solution for existing ships, while methanol and ammonia are planned for the newbuilds.”  

He cited B20, B30 and HVO (B100) and said some of the Grimaldi fleet of ferries have been using it. “You need to prepare the tanks and fuel system, but much less compared with alternative fuels like methanol and ammonia, which are quite disruptive in terms of change.  

“In the future, we believe in battery and shore connections for port stays. We already have almost 30 ships with batteries, and all newbuildings will be designed to connect to shore electricity.” 

The company is currently retrofitting its ropax fleet to be shore-connected.  

Grimaldi’s Finnlines and Trasmed ferries started using shore power two years ago. Mr Bocchetti weighed up the challenges to using shore power. “There is complexity. Availability, cost to the ship operator, if the electricity tariff is too expensive, it must be balanced.” 

Mr Bocchetti made the point that Grimaldi skipped using LNG. “We went for exhaust gas treating systems (scrubbers on diesel engines) and batteries and then newer fuels, so skipped the use of LNG, which is still a fossil fuel.” 

Mr Bocchetti added that conventional fuel with scrubbers and LNG are necessary for the transition. “While we are using new fuels for our newbuilding fleet, conventional fuel with scrubbers can improve the quality of the emissions, including initiatives such as collecting microplastics to improve the ocean water.” He said it is important to remember that energy-efficiency measures are even more important than alternative fuels as “any new fuel is expensive, so reducing the consumption is always good”.