Grimaldi Naples News

On October 7th 2008, Digital Ship held its 2nd conference for Shipdex™, a new protocol to provide ship technical information electronically, rather than on paper. Shipdex™ was founded in 2007 by two senior managers of shipping companies, Grimaldi Naples and Intership Navigation, who thought that the industry should move beyond supplying all technical paperwork (including maintenance and repair manuals, lists of spare parts and drawings) as paper documents, which then have to be typed into company maintenance and purchasing systems.

The launching ceremony for the Grimaldi-Naples new RoRo occurred on September 6 at Fincantieri with Iliana Grimaldia, the wife of Emanuel Grimaldi the managing director of Grimaldi-Naples Group, serving as the vessel’s Godmother. Grande Amburgo is the fifth of a series consisting of Grande Europa, Gran Bretagna, Grande Mediterraneo and Grande Francia all of which were built at Fincantieri’s yard at Castellammare di Stabia. In little more than five years and in addition to Grande Amburgo, Grimaldi-Naples Group has ordered 12 ships from Fincantieri.

The gas carrier Marola was delivered on November 9 at the Fincantieri Ancona yard to the commissioning shipping company Carbofin a Telesio group company. Present at the ceremony hosted by Roberto Tana Fincantieri vice-president were Mario Baldassarri deputy minister for the economy, ship owner Stefano Telesio and Ancona deputy mayor Gianni Giaccaglia. God mother was Robyn Enger. Marola which was launched last July is a highly flexible and technically reliable vessel for the transport of petroleum and chemicals in liquid form. It was designed to meet the most advanced international standards for safety and environmental protection and is fitted with four separate tanks in individual holds.

Manuel Grimaldi confided to some close friends last December that not only had he decided to set up a new line from Italy to Spain but also to purchase Superfast 1 now called Eurostar Roma for Euro 49.3 million. The specification of the vessel will mean a greater presence in Mediterranean RoRo and in fact there are now three of this type of vessel under the name of Grimaldi Ferry Prestige. The new purchase Eurostar Roma was presented by the Naples shipping group in Rome on January 23, 2004. The vessel is 24,000 tons, 174 m long, with a beam of 24 m and a cruising speed of 27 knots.

The car carrier Grande Lagos, the seventh of a 10-vessel order, was launched on February 22 at the Croatian yard Uljanik at Pola for Italy’s Grimaldi-Naples. Grande Lagos, which will be delivered in May, is a 44,500 ton 198,40 m long ship with capacity for 5,400 cars or 456 trucks and 200 cars on 45,671 sq. m., and has a cruising speed of 20 knots. The other three vessels will be delivered at Uljanik for Grimaldi-Naples during the period from 2004 and 2006. On February 16 Grimaldi-Naples took delivery of Grande Buenos Aires at Fincantieri Ancona…

Manuel Grimaldi confided to some close friends last December that not only had he decided to set up a new line from Italy to Spain but also to purchase Superfast 1 now called Eurostar Roma for about $49.3 million. The specification of the vessel will mean a greater presence in Mediterranean RoRo and in fact there are now three of this type of vessel under the name of Grimaldi Ferry Prestige. The new purchase Eurostar Roma (pictured opposite page) was presented by the Naples shipping group in Rome on January 23, 2004. The vessel is 24,000 tons, 570.8 ft. (174 m) long, with a beam of 78.7 ft. (24 m) and a cruising speed of 27 knots. Eurostar Rome can carry 1,400 passengers with 100 cars as well as 110 trailers.

Grimaldi Group has been elected General Motors’ supplier of the year due to its overall outcome as logistics provider. The award was granted during a ceremony held Saturday 3rd of April at the Hilton Hotel in Prague. Bo Andersson, GM’s Worldwide Purchasing Production Control and Logistics Vice President said “Grimaldi- Naples Group represents the type of company with which we want to grow along our journey towards being the best in the world. Grimaldi Group’s service level and working method are able to put up with GM’s priorities. The company is a model for all of our suppliers,” he stated.

In honor of the “Motor City”, Grande Detroit -- a new build for Grimaldi-Naples -- was launched on April 16 at the Croatian Uljanik Yard in Pula. Godmother of the vessel was Ann Dickson, wife of Michael Dickinson executive director of logistics at General Motors Europe. Grande Detroit is the ninth of a 14-ship order awarded by Grimaldi-Naples the Uljanik Yard. Over a four year period the yard has launched and delivered to Grimaldi-Naples the vessels Grande Benelux and Grande Italia in 2001, Grande Spagna and Grande Portugallo in 2002, Grande Roma and Grande Napoli in 2003 and Grande Lagos and Grande Anversa in 2004. Grande Detroit is a 36,000 ton vessel 176 metres long with a 31,10 metre beam.

On June 22, the cruise ferry Cruise Roma was launched at Fincantieri’s yard at Castellamare di Stabia for owners Grimaldi-Naples. was the ship’s godmother. Cruise Roma will be delivered at the beginning of 2008 and is the first of a series of 4 sister ships commissioned by Grimaldi-Naples Group at Fincantieri. The vessels will be used to increase the Group’s Mediterranean services. Cruise Roma will be the largest and most modern of its type able to carry 3,000 lane metres of wheeled vehicles, 215 cars and 2,300 passengers at a maximum speed of 28 knots. of 19 suites, 50 junior suites and 400 standard cabins. The launch of Cruise Roma is part of a much larger and more ambitious program which involves an investment of $2.6b over the next 5 years including the construction of 30 new builds.