On 8 November the Pure Car & Truck Carrier “Grande Torino” of the Grimaldi Group was christened in the port of Civitavecchia. The ceremony was conducted by anchorman Massimo Giletti with godmother of the ship being Cristina Chiabotto, Italian showgirl and TV host.
The event took place on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary from the start of the commercial relations between the Neapolitan Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) when the first car carrier with the “Grimaldi Lines” livery was named “Warrington” as a tribute to Fiat UK, whose headquarters were at that time in the homonymous city. The “Warrington” was employed on the route between Italy and the United Kingdom transporting Fiat cars for the British market.
“Today we welcome the new flagship of our Group for the transport of cars, which represents a further and significant step forward in the direction of an increasingly ecofriendly fleet, which guarantees a truly sustainable maritime transport: the Grande Torino is fitted with an electronically-controlled main engine, as well as with a hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system”, declared Emanuele Grimaldi. The name of the ship makes reference to the city where Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has its headquarters, thus honoring the long and fruitful partnership
The “Grande Torino” is the first unit of a series of seven sister vessels ordered by the Neapolitan group to the Yangfan shipyard. It has a length of 199.90 meters, a beam of 36.45 meters, a gross tonnage of 65,255 tonnes and a service speed of 19 knots.
The ship, which flies the Italian flag, is one of the largest car carriers on the market: in fact, she can transport approximately 7,700 CEU (Car Equivalent Units) or, alternatively, 5,400 linear meters of rolling units and 2,737 CEU. With her four hoistable decks, the “Grande Torino” is an extremely flexible vessel, able to load any type of rolling freight such as trucks, tractors, busses, excavators, etc., up to 5.3 meters high.
The “Grande Torino” will be employed on the weekly ro-ro service operated by the Grimaldi Group between the Mediterranean Sea and North America. She will serve the following ports: Gioia Tauro, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Savona (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), Halifax (Canada), Davisville, New York, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Houston (USA), Tuxpan and Veracruz (Mexico).
The Grimaldi Group, headquartered in Naples, operates a fleet of over 130 vessels and employs approximately 16,000 people. Wholly owned by the Grimaldi family, it is a multinational logistics Group with six shipping companies specialised in the operation of roll-on/roll-off vessels, car carriers and ferries. The 21 port terminals owned/operated by the Grimaldi Group are located in 12 countries around the world. Most of these terminals are fitted with Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) facilities, warehouses and workshops.
