Grimaldi Takes Delivery of Second Ammonia-Ready Car Carrier

Italian shipping firm Grimaldi Group has welcomed the second ammonia-ready pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Grande Tianjin, from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).

The delivery of a 9,000-car capacity PTCT built for Grimaldi Group also marks SWS's 600th vessel or offshore platform since its inaugural delivery, the 150,000-ton Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit Hai Yang Shi You 111, in 2003.

The Grande Tianjin is compatible with electric vehicles, conventional fuel cars, and heavy ro-ro cargo.

Equipped with a new low-consumption main engine, integrated energy-saving devices (twisted rudder, rudder bulb with fins), and a medium-voltage shore power system enabling zero emissions while berthed, it significantly reduces energy consumption.

It also holds RINA's ‘Ammonia Ready’ certification, enabling future conversion for zero-carbon fuels.

Its dock and quayside construction period was only 179 days, setting a record for its type, SWS said.

The vessel is scheduled to depart on its maiden voyage on August 19, carrying the 1,000,000th pure electric vehicle from Chinese NEV brand Leapmotor to Europe.

In July 2025, the Grimaldi Group held the naming ceremony for the Grande Shanghai, the first of ten next-generation Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels commissioned from China Merchants Heavy Industries.