Grimaldi orders five con-ro’s worth $430 million

Grimaldi orders five con-ro’s worth $430 million Italy’s Grimaldi Group has ordered five multipurpose container and roll-on/roll-off vessels from Hyundai Mipo in South Korea, for use in its Atlantic network of services.
   The order is worth about $430 million, the Naples-based company said. Grimaldi is parent company of New Jersey-headquartered Atlantic Container Line and the majority owner of European operator Finnlines.
   Grimaldi’s Atlantic network includes regular connections between North Europe/West Africa, North Europe/South America, U.S. East Coast/West Africa, and South America/West Africa.
   The 25,000-deadweight-ton vessels will have service speeds of 21 knots and be able to take on board up to 2,000 linear meters of ro/ro cargo, 2,000 cars and up to 800 TEUs of containers. The ships will be fitted with a pair of 40-ton cranes able to handle containers, project and oversized cargo, while the stern ramp has been designed to allow the loading of piece cargo of up to 250 tons.
   Grimaldi will take delivery of the ships from Hyundai Mipo from the spring of 2010 through 2011. The company also has another five near-identical vessels on order from Uljanik Yard in Croatia, due in 2008 and 2009.
   “With 10 new large, state-of-the-art ships set to enter in service, we will be able to strengthen our leadership position on the Atlantic ro/ro marketplace by improving the frequency offered on all the routes part of the network,” said Gianluca Grimaldi, group co-managing director.