The Italian Grimaldi Group has signed an order with the shipyard China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Group China Merchants Industry Holdings Co. to build nine Ro-pax ships. Six ships will be deployed in the Mediterranean with the Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines brands, while three will be operated by the Finnish brand Finnlines in the Baltic Sea. The agreement, of the value of $1.3 billion, was signed this morning in Hong Kong. All nine ships will be delivered between 2028 and 2030.

The nine ships will be equipped with engines able to run on methanol, making them able to achieve the goal of zero emissions. The four new ships used by Grimaldi Lines will sail under the flag while the two operated by the Greek brand Minoan Lines will fly the Greek flag. The six sister ships belong to the "Next Generation Med" class and will serve routes in the Mediterranean. The other three ro-pax that will be delivered to Finnlines will sail under the Finnish flag and inaugurate the class "Hansa Superstar", which is the evolution of the "Superstar" class, intended for routes in the Baltic.

The new ro-pax will be equipped with innovations starting from the optimization of hull and propellers, from energy-efficient on-board energy management systems both at sea and in port, by systems to be able to connect ships to shore-side electricity supply systems and by the application of silicon-based hull coatings that reduce CO2 emissions per unit load transported by more than 50% compared to ships currently operate on the same routes.

With a length of 229 meters, the new Mediterranean ro-pax ships will have a capacity of load of 3,300 linear meters for rolling goods and over 300 cars. They will be able to accommodate up to 2,500 passengers, offering over 300 cabins for a total of over 1,200 guests and about 700 reclining seats. The three new buildings destined for the Baltic Sea will be 240 km long meters and will have a load capacity of 5,100 linear meters for rolling goods plus 90 cars and accommodation in 320 cabins for up to 1,100 passengers.

"With the order of these nine extraordinary ro-pax ships - underlined Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of the Grimaldi group and president of Finnlines - we continue and We strengthen our long and fruitful alliance with China Merchants Group, an exceptional partner for shipbuilding state-of-the-art. The new Next Generation Med and Hansa classes Superstars are the result of an in-depth study of the needs of our customers and, more generally, of those shipping. Today more than ever, the latter requires quality, efficiency and environmental sustainability for remain a key mode of freight transport, and domestic and international passengers. In particular, the outstanding performance in reducing CO2 emissions and The use of methanol as an alternative fuel brings us even closer our group to the global net emissions target zero, further consolidating our position as a Leading player in Short Sea Shipping in the regions of the Mediterranean and the Baltic".