Grimaldi, christened the "Grande Torino"

Genoa – The christening ceremony of the Grimaldi group's new Pure Car & Truck Carrier Grande Torino took place this morning at the port of Civitavecchia. Godmother of the ship is the showgirl and TV presenter Cristina Chiabotto.

The event was attended by local authorities, the top of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Supply Chain, the top management of the Neapolitan group and the port community of Civitavecchia.

The ceremony ended with the cutting of the ribbon and the traditional breaking of the bottle by the godmother. The event falls on the fiftieth anniversary of the start of relations between the Neapolitan group and Fca, when the first car carrier ship with the "Grimaldi Lines" livery was christened Warrington in homage to Fiat UK, whose headquarters was in the homonymous English city. Warrington was used on the connection between Italy and the United Kingdom carrying Fiat cars destined for the British market. "Today we welcome the new flagship of our Group for car transport, which represents a further and significant step forward towards an increasingly ecofriendly fleet, which guarantees truly sustainable maritime transport: Grande Torino is indeed a a highly technological unit, equipped with an electronically controlled engine and state-of-the-art systems capable of reducing polluting emissions ", declared Emanuele Grimaldi. "The name of this unit is reminiscent of the city where Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is headquartered, thus honoring the long and fruitful partnership that has been linking us for half a century to one of the most important car manufacturers in the world", the CEO of the group concluded.

La Grande Torino is the first of seven twin units commissioned by the Grimaldi Group to the Chinese Yangfan shipyard in Zhoushan. 199.90 meters long and 36.45 meters wide, it has a gross tonnage of 65,255 tons and a cruising speed of 19 knots. It can carry around 7,700 CEUs (Car Equivalent Units) or alternatively 5,400 linear meters of rolling stock and 2,737 CEUs. It is a very flexible ship, thanks to the four mobile bridges and the two access ramps, one side and one in the stern: it can therefore transport and embark not only cars but also any type of rotatable cargo, such as trucks, tractors, buses , excavators, up to 5.3 meters high. From an environmental point of view, Grande Torino is a highly efficient ship. It is, in fact, equipped with an electronically controlled Man Energy Solutions engine, as required by the new regulations for the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. It also respects the most recent regulations in terms of ballast water treatment. Grande Torino will be used on the Grimaldi Group's weekly ro / ro connection between the Mediterranean and North America, mainly to transport FCA vehicles. The ports of Gioia Tauro, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Savona (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), Halifax (Canada), Davisville, New York, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Houston (USA), Tuxpan and Veracruz (Mexico ).