During a short ceremony held last 31st October at the Chinese shipyards of Jinling in Nanjing, the Pure Car & Truck Carrier Grande New York was delivered to the Grimaldi Group.
Second of a series of three sister units, the Grande New York has a length of 199.90 meters, a width of 32.26 meters, a gross tonnage of 63,000 tonnes and a cruising speed of 19 knots. The new Italian-flag unit can carry 6,700 CEU (Car Equivalent Units) or alternatively 4,000 linear meters of rolling freight and 2,500 CEU. The Grande New York is equipped with four hoistable decks which make her an extremely f lexible vessel, able to transport any type of rolling cargo (cars, vans, trucks, tractors, buses, excavators, etc.) up to 5.2 meters height. In addition, the vessel has two access ramps, a side ramp and a quarter stern ramp, the latter allowing the loading
of freight units with a weight up to 150 tons.
The Grande New York is a highly performing ship from an environmental point of view. She is fitted with an electronically-controlled (Man Diesel & Turbo) main engine that allows to comply with the new regulations for reducing NOx emissions, while the installed scrubber reduces sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions. Moreover, she is equipped with a ballast water treatment unit, allowing her to meet future international regulations on the matter.
"The Grande New York is part of a program aiming to enhance the maritime links between the Mediterranean and North America, launched by our Group in recent years with the deployment of ever-modern, highly flexible and environmentally friendly vessels," said Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group. The Grande New York left the port of Nanjing on the 3rd of November bound to Antwerp where she will be deployed on the weekly ro-ro service operated by the Group between the Mediterranean and North America. The ports served by the maritime link are: Gemlik (Turkey), Gioia Tauro (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Savona (Italy), Halifax, New York, Baltimore, Veracruz (Mexico) and Antwerp (Belgium).
Meanwhile, last 31st of October, the Grande Baltimora, sister vessel of the Grande New York, made her inaugural trip to the US port of Baltimore where she was welcomed by a large delegation composed of civil and maritime authorities, among which John Wobensmith, Secretary of State for the State of Maryland, and James White, Executive Director of the Maryland Port Administration, customers, port operators, managers of the Grimaldi Group and of its daughter company Atlantic Container Line. Carol Ann White, wife of James White, was the godmother of the vessel. During the ceremony, John Wobensmith handed over to Costantino Baldissara, Commercial,
Logistics & Operations Director of the Grimaldi Group, a Governor’s Citation on behalf of the Governor of the State of Maryland, as a recognition of the 50-year fruitful relationship between the Port of Baltimore and the Grimaldi Group.
The Grande Baltimora is deployed on the Mediterranean-North America weekly service operated by the Group. The next vessel to be delivered to the Group is the Grande Halifax, scheduled for January 2018.
