Italian shipping company the Grimaldi Group took delivery of a new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) in a ceremony on Tuesday, September 9.
Grande Auckland is the second in a new series of seven PCTCs built for Grimaldi by China's Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. Grande Tianjin, the first ship in the series, was delivered early last month.
The newbuild has a length of 200 metres, a beam of 38 metres, a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500, and a total capacity of 9,241 CEUs. Four of the ship's vehicle decks are also capable of carrying other types of rolling cargo, including heavy loads of up to 250 tons and as high as 6.5 metres.
Power for the PCTC is provided by one MAN B&W 7S60 ME-C10.6-HPSCR electronically controlled engine, which Grimaldi said complies with the most stringent international limits for CO₂, NOx, and SOx emissions.
Like Grande Tianjin, Grande Auckland has also secured the "ammonia ready" class notation from RINA, certifying that she can be converted in the future to use ammonia as an alternative fuel. She is also equipped for shore power charging.
Grande Auckland will make her maiden voyage on the Asia–Europe service, where she will remain deployed throughout 2025. The vessel will depart from Shanghai and Lianyungang carrying 4,900 vehicles and 3,300 linear meters of rolling cargo (buses, trucks, excavators, trailers) and will call at Agadir and Tanger Med in Morocco, Vigo, Antwerp, and Southampton.
From Northern Europe, she will head back to Asia, with calls in La Réunion then Yokohama and Toyohashi, and finally Masan in South Korea.