On May 15 Uljanik Shipyards in Pula will deliver Grande Lagos, built on behalf of Grimaldi-Napoli. The ship will be launched by Mrs. Aldi C. Sekibo, the consort of the Minister of Transports of Nigeria.
Grande Lagos is the seventh ship, following up a maxi-order of 11 ships, that was built by the Croatian shipyards Ulajnik in Pula for the Grimaldi – Napoli group. In three years the Uljanik shipyard launched and delivered to the Grimaldi – Napoli group Grande Benelux, and Grande Italia in 2001; Grande Spagna and Grande Portogallo in 2002; Grande Roma and Grande Napoli in 2003.
The 44,500-ton Grande Lagos is 196.4 m long and is a car-truck carrier ship and transports 5,379 cars or otherwise 456 trucks and 2000 cars; the loading surface is 45,671 sq. m. and with its 11 decks, its height is comparable to a 33-m building consisting of 11 floors.
The engine power is 11,060 kW ensuring a 20 knots max speed and a 19.3 knot duty speed.
These ships, built on behalf of Grimaldi–Napoli, are extremely loading-flexible and allow shipping and transporting traction units of any weight and dimensions (trucks, tractors, tourist double-deckers, railway wagons and mechanical blades) thanks to the deck heights that can be lifted up to 5 m. On the wide decks even one hundred containers can be placed, which are towed by means of the mafi-trailers that are part of the
ship equipment.
Recently, Fincantieri, in Italy, delivered Grande Buenos Aires, the last of five ships which contract was signed in December 2000: Grande Amburgo and Grande Francia to Castellamare di Stabia, Grande San Paolo to Palermo, Grande Nigeria to Ancona.