Grimaldi Group is advancing letter-of-intent arrangements for ten multipurpose car carriers with Chinese shipbuilders, while adding another ro-pax ferry to its orderbook. The developments form part of a broader investment pipeline that also includes negotiations for a new G6 con-ro series.

Five Ships with China Merchants, Five with GSI

The proposed PCTC programme comprises five 10,000-CEU vessels with China Merchants and another five 11,000-CEU vessels with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI). Both designs would provide additional capacity for containers and other rolling cargo alongside vehicles.

Grimaldi Group Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi outlined the arrangements in an interview published by Shipping Italy on 1 November. The projects are moving from preliminary design into engineering, expected to take approximately six months, with deliveries envisaged for 2030–2031. The ten ships remain at the LOI stage.

The group’s representatives signing the agreements in China included Director of R&D, Energy and Decarbonisation Dario Bocchetti and Automotive Intercontinental Director Luigi Pacella Grimaldi.

The disclosure provides the first concrete outline of the multipurpose project announced at the group’s Euromed Convention in September. At that time, Grimaldi had confirmed that research and development work was well advanced, without publishing vessel numbers, shipyard selections or delivery schedules.

The proposed vessels would extend the group’s move towards larger vehicle carriers while developing their mixed-cargo capabilities. Detailed arrangements for vehicle decks, container capacity and other rolling freight will be important in assessing how the two designs fit Grimaldi’s service network.

€160 Million Ro-Pax Added for Trasmed

Separately, Grimaldi has commissioned an additional ro-pax ferry from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), representing an investment of €160 million, approximately US$179 million.

The vessel will be operated by the group’s Spanish subsidiary Trasmed. Trasmed Chief Executive Ettore Morace confirmed to Spanish maritime publication Puente de Mando that delivery is expected in 2029 and that the ship will sail under the Spanish flag.

The order adds a tenth ship to the nine-vessel ro-pax programme signed in Hong Kong on 8 April 2025. The original nine vessels, also contracted at Weihai, are scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030: four for Grimaldi Lines, two for Minoan Lines and three for Finnlines. They were specified with methanol-capable engines and will serve Mediterranean and Baltic routes.

The additional vessel extends this renewal programme to Trasmed’s operations. Based in Valencia, the company provides passenger and freight services between mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, including connections from Barcelona and Valencia.

G6 Con-Ro Negotiations Continue

Grimaldi is also negotiating a new G6 con-ro series with Hyundai, China Merchants and GSI. Vessel numbers and detailed technical specifications have not yet been disclosed.

Hyundai’s participation builds on its existing relationship with the group. The preceding G5 multipurpose con-ro series was constructed by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. The G5 vessel Great Lagos, delivered in 2023, has published capacities of 4,700 lane metres of rolling freight, 2,500 CEU and 2,000 TEU. Its container capacity doubled compared with the previous G4 generation, while rolling-freight capacity remained comparable.

Chinese builders also have substantial experience across Grimaldi’s fleet programmes. China Merchants stated in April 2025 that its industrial subsidiary and Grimaldi had collaborated on more than thirty ro-ro vessels of different types. The G6 negotiations therefore bring together prospective suppliers with established relationships with the owner, although the final construction arrangements remain open.

Broader Investment Pipeline Exceeds €4 Billion

Emanuele Grimaldi described the wider investment plan, including further projects, as exceeding €4 billion—approximately US$4.47 billion. That figure covers the broader pipeline and should not be interpreted as the contract value of the ten proposed multipurpose PCTCs.

The projects are progressing at different stages: the additional Trasmed ferry has been commissioned, the multipurpose PCTCs are at the LOI stage, and the G6 series remains under negotiation. Construction contracts, completed specifications and deployment decisions will provide the next measures of progress.

Demand expectations offer some context for the proposals. Speaking previously to Xinde Marine News at Xinde Marine Forum London 2026, Luigi Pacella Grimaldi said Chinese vehicle exports still had room to grow, highlighting trucks and heavy rolling cargo as additional sources of demand. He also pointed to the substantial car-carrier orderbook: if ordering continued to rise, supply and demand could become more balanced in five years’ time, although forecasting that far ahead had become more difficult.

For the proposed 2030–2031 deliveries, the commercial test will be matching the new ships’ capacity and cargo flexibility with the market they enter. The forthcoming engineering and contracting stages should clarify how Grimaldi intends to do that.

US dollar equivalents use the European Central Bank’s reference rate of €1 = US$1.1172 on 30 October 2026. www.ecb.europa.eu