Seventh Croatian-built car-truck carrier delivered to Grimaldi

Seventh Croatian-built car-truck carrier delivered to Grimaldi    The “Grande Lagos,” a 44,500-gross-ton car-truck carrier built by the Croatian shipyard Uljanik, has been delivered to Grimaldi Group Naples.
   The new ship will be chartered for several months to another shipping company, before joining Grimaldi’s North European liner service to West Africa and South America.
   This is the seventh of 11 ships ordered from the shipyard by Grimaldi. Since 2001, Uljanik delivered seven ships to the Italian group, and the remaining four vessels will be launched by 2007.
   The “Grande Lagos” is 196.4 meters long and can transport 5,379 cars or 456 trucks and 2,000 cars. With its 11 decks, the vessel’s height is comparable to a 33-meter-high building, the company said. The vessel has a maximum speed of 20 knots and a service speed of 19.3 knots.
   Grimaldi said these vessels can ship rolling units of any weight and dimension (trucks, tractors, double-decker buses, railway wagons and mechanical blades) as the deck heights can be lifted up to 5 meters. One hundred containers can also be handled.
   Grimaldi is the parent company of Atlantic Container Line.