The Grimaldi Group took delivery of the Grande Egitto on 21 September 2026, a vehicle carrier built by Chinese shipyard China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu. It is the shipowner’s 14th Ammonia Ready vessel, a class of ships designed for future conversion to ammonia propulsion. Together with its sister ship Grande Pacifico, which entered service in August, Grande Egitto now holds the record as the largest vehicle carrier ever to join the Grimaldi fleet. The vessel is 220 metres long and 38 metres wide, with a gross tonnage of 95,534 tonnes and a service speed of 18 knots. Its 15 decks provide a capacity of 9,800 CEU and, as well as carrying electric and conventionally powered vehicles, the vessel is also designed to transport vehicles powered by compressed natural gas. The ship has also been awarded the additional Green Plus, Green Star 3, Comfort Vibration and Comfort Noise Port notations.
Grimaldi says the onboard technologies can reduce fuel consumption by 50% compared with previous-generation car carriers. The vessel is equipped with lithium batteries with a total capacity of 5 MWh and is shore-power ready for cold ironing at suitably equipped ports, allowing it to eliminate emissions while alongside. Its equipment also includes 2,500 square metres of solar panels, smart energy management systems, a silicone hull coating to reduce friction, an air lubrication system, an improved hull design and a gate rudder, which enhances both propulsion and manoeuvrability. The electronically controlled main engine is also fitted with exhaust gas treatment systems that reduce emissions of sulphur oxides, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, with the latter below the Tier III limits set by the International Maritime Organization.
The name chosen for the new vessel reflects Egypt’s central role in the Grimaldi Group’s global and regional shipping routes, as well as its decades-long presence in the country through regular calls at the port of Alexandria as part of the Euro-Med network. “With the entry into service of Grande Egitto, we are giving fresh and significant momentum to the expansion and modernisation of our vehicle transport fleet,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, chief executive of the Grimaldi Group. “This new 9,800 CEU vessel represents the perfect combination of commercial efficiency and environmental responsibility. By choosing to deploy it on the Asia-East Africa route, we aim to provide a concrete response to the needs of an increasingly dynamic market, offering our customers regular and flexible shipping connections with the lowest possible environmental impact.”
Grande Egitto will begin its maiden voyage next week on the Asia-East Africa service, linking Far Eastern markets with the main commercial hubs of East Africa. The vessel will load a total of 4,150 cars and 6,200 linear metres of rolling cargo, including excavators, buses and commercial vehicles, at the Asian ports of Taicang in China and Yokohama and Nagoya in Japan, bound for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Mombasa in Kenya.
