Today GNV, the ferry company of the MSC group, has taken over GNV Polaris delivers, the first of four new units ro-pax built in China that will join the fleet by 2026. The ship will soon leave the Asian shipyard to reach Italy, where further fittings before entering service by next January. The shipping company highlighted that, thanks to its Technical characteristics, the new ship will strengthen the network of GNV services ensuring greater flexibility operational and more efficient peak management seasonal, with particular attention to routes to Sicily and Sardinia.

Among the features of the new ship built in the shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) Naval Administrator delegate of GNV, Matteo Catani, recalled that, "thanks to the high standards in terms of energy efficiency and possibility of taking advantage of cold ironing, this ship represents a fundamental step for our company also in in terms of reducing the environmental impact of our operations and will act as an accelerator of the sustainability path that we have started and in which we firmly believe".

GNV Polaris has a gross tonnage of about 46,000 tons, a length of 218 meters, a width of 29.60 meters and can reach a maximum speed of 25 knots. The The ship has 239 cabins and a cargo capacity of 1,500 passengers and 3,100 linear meters of rolling stock. Like the others three newly built units, in addition to being equipped with the systems necessary for cold ironing, i.e. the connection via a socket to the electricity grid on the quay that allows an important reduction of emissions as well as an improvement in the air quality and local noise, GNV Polaris is equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to meet IMO requirements Tier III. There are also additional energy-saving features" such as: heat recycling technologies by means of turbo-alternator; use of inverters for the optimization of the electrical load of pumps and fans; Using LED lights on the entire lighting system; Optimization of the shapes of hull, bulb, propellers and rudders, and paint application in the hull in order to minimize the consumption of fuel necessary for propulsion.