The last two of the four ro-pax ships that the company GNV navigation of the MSC Group has ordered from the Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International will be taken over with 11 months in advance. This was announced by the CEO of GNV, Matteo Catani, on the occasion of an event held this evening in Palermo on board the GNV Polaris ship. "The last two ships of our order, GNV Virgo and GNV Aurora - announced Catani - will enter the fleet by the end of this year, eleven months ahead of the project initial. This accelerated pace allows us to expand quickly our development plan, responding to the needs market and implementing our contribution to the development of the of the territories involved. The Palermo-Genoa route is at the heart of this evolution: GNV has been operational since January Polaris that in June - also in this case anticipating the times - will be joined by GNV Orion".

"The new ships - Catani recalled - are equipped with state-of-the-art environmental technologies. The third and fourth - GNV Virgo and GNV Aurora - will be the first GNVs to LNG-powered ships, and the first ever LNG ships designed for the Italian ferry market, reducing further and significantly (-50%) emissions. That's a clear signal of our concrete commitment to an ever-changing future more sustainable. However, it is essential, in this - he added - the support of the government and institutions, especially with regard to the modernisation of port infrastructure, the adoption of cold ironing and the development of an adequate distribution network for low-impact fuels such as LNG. Both new LNG-powered ships - has explained the CEO of GNV - will have the characteristics to operate on our Italian lines, but At this time we would not be able to stock up on this fuel because there is a lack of distribution networks and port infrastructure to allow this. It is therefore ports and refuelling systems are ready to take full advantage of these technologies otherwise we will be forced to position the most at the forefront of the market abroad».

Pointing out that in 2024 in the Sicilian ports of Palermo and Termini Imerese GNV has handled almost 750 thousand passengers and more two million linear meters of goods, Catani specified that "the Sicily represents a market of fundamental importance for us, more than 30% of our business, and in particular the historic route Palermo-Genoa continues to be a strategic point of reference. The deployment of the two new ships on this route - highlighted - will allow us to give a further boost to the growth in traffic and local employment. However, for fully realising these ambitious prospects, is A shared commitment with the institutions is necessary: incentives for development, more space in the port and modern infrastructure are essential elements to consolidate our role as a catalyst economic and social on the territories".