Grimaldi takes delivery of new car carrier Grande Seoul

The Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of the new Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) Grande Seoul, further expanding its fleet dedicated to vehicle transport on global trade routes.

The vessel was built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited (CSTC), both part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The Grande Seoul is the ninth ammonia-ready vessel delivered to the Italian shipping group, meaning it is prepared for the potential future use of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel.

The car carrier measures 200 metres in length, with a beam of 38 metres and a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tonnes. It has been designed to efficiently transport a wide range of vehicles including cars, SUVs and vans, both electric and conventionally powered, as well as other types of rolling cargo.

The ship has a loading capacity of 9,241 car equivalent units (CEU). Four of its decks are also capable of accommodating heavy rolling cargo, with loads of up to 250 tonnes and cargo heights of up to 6.5 metres.

Like its sister vessels already in service—Grande Tianjin, Grande Auckland, Grande Melbourne, Grande Istanbul and Grande Manila—the Grande Seoul combines high cargo capacity with improved environmental performance. According to the company, the vessel can reduce CO₂ emissions per transported unit by up to 50 percent compared with previous-generation PCTC vessels.

The vessel is equipped with an advanced electronic engine designed to deliver low fuel consumption while meeting strict international limits for CO₂, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions.

The Grande Seoul has also received the “Ammonia Ready” class notation from the Italian classification society RINA, confirming that the vessel can be converted in the future to operate using ammonia as an alternative zero-carbon fuel.

In addition, the ship is equipped for shore power connection during port calls, allowing it to use cold ironing where available and reduce emissions while berthed.

The vessel’s name pays tribute to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which became part of the Grimaldi Group’s global service network in 2022 when the company introduced regular services between Europe and the Asian country.

In the coming days, the Grande Seoul will depart China to begin its maiden voyage on the Asia–Europe service. The vessel is scheduled to sail from Shanghai (Taicang) carrying more than 6,200 cars and approximately 1,600 linear metres of additional rolling cargo.

The cargo will be delivered to the ports of Antwerp in Belgium, Portbury in the United Kingdom and Vigo in 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,” said 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,” he added.