The Grimaldi Group has taken delivery in Shanghai of the Grande Auckland, the second of seven new pure car and truck carriers ordered from the Sws and Cstc shipyards, both part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited. Measuring 200 metres in length and 38 metres in beam, with a gross tonnage of around 77,500, the vessel has been designed to transport all types of vehicles, including electric cars, as well as other rolling cargo. Its capacity reaches 9,241 ceu, with four decks also dedicated to oversized cargoes of up to 250 tonnes and 6.5 metres in height.
The ship is powered by a Man B\&W 7S60 ME-C10.6-Hpscr Tier II–Tier III engine, which delivers some of the lowest specific fuel consumption levels in its category while complying with CO2, NOx and SOx emissions standards. The vessel’s design makes it possible to cut the carbon intensity per unit of cargo carried by up to 50% compared with the previous generation of pure car and truck carriers.
The Grande Auckland has been awarded the Ammonia Ready notation by Registro Italiano Navale, certifying the potential for future conversion to ammonia as a zero-carbon alternative fuel. The vessel is also equipped for cold ironing, allowing it to draw electricity from shore while berthed. The group still has 14 additional ammonia-ready car carriers on order, scheduled for delivery by 2027, which will strengthen connections with major Asian market hubs.
The ship is named after Auckland in New Zealand, where Grimaldi vessels have been calling monthly since 2023. Its maiden voyage will be on the Asia–Europe service, departing from Shanghai and Lianyungang with 4,900 cars and 3,300 linear metres of rolling cargo, with scheduled calls in Morocco, Spain, Belgium and the United Kingdom, before returning to Asia via La Réunion, Japan and South Korea.
