Construction of Grimaldi Group’s next-generation 7,800-lanemetre hybrid ro-ro ships is proceeding on schedule with the keel of the first Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) laid on 21 August in the presence of representatives from the shipyard, Grimaldi Group’s on-site team, and RINA, the ship’s class society.
Jinling’s Yizheng shipyard has positioned itself as the world’s most prolific builder of short-sea ro-ro freighters. DFDS’s newbuilding programme is halfway with the third ship in the 6,695-lanemetre series, HOLLANDIA SEAWAYS, undergoing sea trials and expected to be handed over later this summer. The fourth, yet unnamed, vessel in the six-ship series was floated out on 5 July.
Just like the DFDS super freighters, the even larger GG5G Class freighters were designed by Knud E. Hansen, the Danish naval architecture consultancy. The first GG5G is expected to enter service between northern Italy and Spain next year. Eight more vessels will join the Grimaldi Lines fleet in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Three units in the 12-ship series will be adapted for Finnlines service between the Bay of Biscay/North Sea and the Baltic, replacing lengthened Breeze Class tonnage. The three 1A Super ice-class vessels for Finnlines will have a lower intake of 5,800 lanemetres on four decks rather than five, being specifically designed for Finnlines’ typical cargo mix of trailers, containers, sto-ro paper cargo and new cars with 5,000m² of car decks.
As the name indicates, the 238m long and 34m beam GG5Gs will be ‘ultra green’ with 600m² of solar panels, large-capacity batteries to achieve zero emissions in port as well as an air lubrication system whereby the ship will ride on a carpet of micro bubbles, hereby reducing the frictional resistance between the hull and the water. The vessels will be powered by twin MAN B&W two-stroke engines driving twin propellers and will be equipped with exhaust gas scrubbers.
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