Grimaldi Group set to finalise order for nine ropax ferries in China

A source within the company has confirmed the contract will be signed soon. According to the same source, four vessels will be allocated to Grimaldi Euromed, three to Finnlines, and two to Minoan Lines.

AXSMarine reported in its latest AXSRoRo newsletter that Grimaldi had signed a letter of intent with China Merchants earlier this year. Grimaldi Group managing director, Emanuele Grimaldi, first revealed these newbuilding plans in Athens last October during the Euromed Convention.

According to these plans, the vessels designated for Euromed and Minoan will accommodate 2,500 passengers, 300 cars, and 300 cabins. Meanwhile, the Finnlines trio will be a natural evolution of the Superstar project, featuring 1,000 passengers and 300 cabins.

The initial goal was to place the order by the end of last year, but it was delayed. According to AXSRoRo, the group adopted a cautious approach due to high newbuilding costs. However, it has now been drawn toward signing the contract, as the shipyard offered highly competitive pricing.

Although no official price has been disclosed, market sources estimate the newbuildings will exceed a total cost of US$1Bn.

According to AXSRoRo, this deal will further solidify China Merchants’ position as the world’s leading builder of ropax tonnage. The shipyard has already constructed 12 Stena E-Flexers and two Superstar-class Finnlines vessels.

Expanding the fleet

Speaking at the Euromed Convention last year, Mr Grimaldi stated the Group operates a fleet of 140 vessels, with 20 more under construction, including 17 pure car and truck carriers, each with a capacity of 9,000 CEU.

In mid-March, Grimaldi Group received roro vessel Eco Napoli from China Merchants’ Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing. This was the final delivery in a series of 14 vessels from the Grimaldi Green 5th-Generation class, a project valued at over US$1Bn.

Notably, the Group recently secured funding from the European Commission for two new research and development projects. The first project aims to develop and test an innovative digital twin for three different vessel types, while the second focuses on advancing new electrical storage technologies for maritime applications.