The Grimaldi Group took delivery of the new Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) Grande Seoul. Built by SWS (Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited) and CSTC (China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited) – both part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC) – the vessel is the Italian group’s ninth ammonia-ready unit, meaning she is prepared for the future use of ammonia as an alternative, zero-carbon fuel.
With a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tonnes, the Grande Seoul has been designed for the efficient transport of vehicles (cars, SUVs, vans, etc.), both electric and powered by traditional fuels, as well as any other type of rolling cargo. The vessel has a loading capacity of 9,241 CEU (Car Equivalent Units), with four decks also capable of carrying other rolling cargo, including heavy loads of up to 250 tons and as high as 6.5 meters.
Like her sister ships already in service (Grande Tianjin, Grande Auckland, Grande Melbourne, Grande Istanbul and Grande Manila), the Grande Seoul stands out not only for her high transport capacity but also for her advanced environmental performance, with a CO₂ emission index per transported cargo significantly reduced—by up to 50% compared with the previous generation of PCTC vessels.
The vessel is equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic engine, which offers one of the lowest specific fuel consumptions in its class and complies with the most stringent international limits for CO₂, NOx, and SOx emissions. Additionally, she has received the "Ammonia Ready" class notation from RINA (Italian Naval Register), certifying that she can be converted in the future to use ammonia as a zero-carbon alternative fuel. She is also equipped for shore power supply during berthing (cold ironing), which, where available, provides a green alternative to the use of traditional fuels while docked in port.
With her name, the Grande Seoul pays tribute to the capital of South Korea, which has been an integral part of the global network of the Grimaldi Group since 2022. Since then, the company has offered regular services between Europe and the Asian country in both directions and, thanks to its extensive network covering more than 150 ports in 60 countries, is able to connect South Korea with the world’s main trade routes.
In the coming days, the Grande Seoul will leave China to begin her maiden voyage on the Asia–Europe service. More specifically, the vessel will depart from Shanghai (Taicang) with a cargo consisting of more than 6,200 cars and about 1,600 linear metres of other rolling freight, bound for the ports of Antwerp (Belgium), Portbury (United Kingdom) and Vigo (Spain).
“With the addition of Grande Seoul to our fleet, we are further strengthening the services dedicated to vehicle transport between Asia and the rest of the world,” commented Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group. “Thanks to significant investments in modern vessels that combine transport capacity with high environmental performance, we can offer our customers increasingly efficient and sustainable services on intercontinental routes.”
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