Grimaldi orders six GG5G RoRo vessels

They will have a hybrid propulsion system. They will be delivered in 2020 and will be 238m long, 34m wide and will have RoRo capacity of over 7,800 line metres, equivalent to about 500 road trailers. Three ships from the order will be operated by Grimaldi Lines in the Mediterranean, while the remaining three ice-class vessels will be allocated to Finnlines, the group’s associate company, for operation in the Baltic Sea. Their loading capacity will be double as large as ships currently operated by the Grimaldi group. At the same speed they will consume the same quantity of fuel, meaning a 100% increase in effi ciency when measured in terms of consumption/per tonne of freight transported. The design of the new buildings, called Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G), was developed by the Technical and Energy Saving Department of the Grimaldi Group together with the Nordic design house Knud E. Hansen and incorporates innovative elements partly already patented. The vessels will use fossil fuel during navigation and electricity while in harbours, so achieving zero emissions in port. The vessels will be equipped with large lithium batteries which will satisfy their energy requirements while berthed. These batteries will be recharged during navigation, through shaft generators adding the so-called peak shaving system, and with the aid of 600sq.m of solar panels. Other technical innovation of the ships includes the air lubrication system under the keel creating bubble layers which will reduce friction and hydrodynamic resistance and consequently the emissions deriving from fuel consumption. The vessels’ hulls will also be covered with special no-toxic silicon paints characterised by low surface roughness which will reduce friction with the sea and does not release harmful substances into the water. As far as sulphur emissions are concerned, special on-board devices will combine the sulphur released by the propulsive cylinders with the salt contained in sea water, exploiting its natural chemical reaction, producing gypsum, which can be re-
used on the ground or disposed of in nature.