This morning the Pure Car & Truck Carrier Grande Torino of the Grimaldi Group was christened in the port of Civitavecchia. The ceremony was conducted by anchorman Massimo Giletti with godmother of the ship being Cristina Chiabotto, Italian showgirl and TV host.
The local authorities, the top management of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) Supply Chain and of the Grimaldi Group as well as the entire port community of Civitavecchia took part in the event. Speakers at the ceremony were Francesco Maria di Majo, President of the Port Authority System of the Northern Central Tyrrhenian Sea, Vincenzo Leone, Civitavecchia Harbour Master, Mauro Coletta, General Director of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Ernesto Tedesco, Mayor of Civitavecchia, and Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group.
After the greetings, Monsignor Cono Firringa, parish priest of the Cathedral of Civitavecchia, proceeded to bless the ship. The ceremony ended with the cutting of the ribbon and the traditional breaking of the bottle by the godmother Cristina Chiabotto.
The event took place on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary from the start of the commercial relations between the Neapolitan Group and FCA, when the first car carrier with the “Grimaldi Lines” livery was named Warrington as a tribute to Fiat UK, whose headquarters were at that time in the homonymous city. The Warrington was employed on the route between Italy and the United Kingdom transporting Fiat cars for the British market.
“Today we welcome the new flagship of our Group for the transport of cars, which represents a further and significant step forward in the direction of an increasingly ecofriendly fleet, which guarantees a truly sustainable maritime transport: the Grande Torino is fitted with an electronically-controlled main engine, as well as with a hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system”, declared Emanuele Grimaldi. “The name of the ship makes reference to the city where Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has its headquarters, thus honoring the long and fruitful partnership that has bound us for half a century to one of the most important car manufacturers in the world”, concluded the Group’s Managing Director.
The Grande Torino is the first unit of a series of seven sister vessels ordered by the Neapolitan group to the Yangfan shipyard. It has a length of 199.90 meters, a beam of 36.45 meters, a gross tonnage of 65,255 tonnes and a service speed of 19 knots.
The ship, which flies the Italian flag, is one of the largest car carriers on the market: in fact, she can transport approximately 7,700 CEU (Car Equivalent Units) or, alternatively, 5,400 linear meters of rolling units and 2,737 CEU. With her four hoistable decks, the Grande Torino is an extremely flexible vessel, able to load any type of rolling freight such as trucks, tractors, busses, excavators, etc., up to 5.3 meters high.
From an environmental point of view, the Grande Torino is a highly performing ship. She is, in fact, fitted with an electronically-controlled (Man Energy Solutions) main engine, allowing her to meet the new regulations for the reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx), as well as with a hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system for the abatement of sulphur oxide emissions (SOx). Moreover, she is equipped with a ballast water treatment unit, which allows her to meet the most recent international regulations.
The Grande Torino will be employed on the weekly ro-ro service operated by the Grimaldi Group between the Mediterranean Sea and North America. She will serve the following ports: Gioia Tauro, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Savona (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), Halifax (Canada), Davisville, New York, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Houston (USA), Tuxpan and Veracruz (Mexico).