Seventh Ammonia-Ready PCTC Delivered to Grimaldi Group Fleet

Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of its seventh ammonia-ready pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), further expanding its fleet of vessels prepared for the future use of ammonia as a marine fuel. The vessel, Grande Manila, is scheduled to begin its maiden voyage on the Asia–Europe service this week.

Vessel delivery and construction

The Grande Manila was built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) in cooperation with China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSTC), both subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The vessel was delivered and christened in Shanghai.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the shipbuilder and the owner, including Zhang Wei, Vice President of SWS, and Luigi Pacella Grimaldi, Automotive Intercontinental Director of the Grimaldi Group. Doris Ho, President and CEO of the Magsaysay Group, served as godmother of the vessel.

Fleet strategy and Philippines connection

“With the arrival of Grande Manila we are celebrating, on the one hand, a new and important milestone in the expansion and modernisation of our fleet, and on the other, our increasingly strong ties with the Philippines, a country with a great seafaring tradition,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group.

“Filipino seafarers represent a fundamental resource for our fleet: their professionalism, dedication and reliability are values that contribute every day to the safety and efficiency of our operations.

“For our part, also through the partnership with the Ho family and Magsaysay Group, we reaffirm our commitment to the growth and well-being of this extraordinary human capital. At the same time, by adding Philippine ports to our network of services, operated regularly by state-of-the-art vessels, we will further contribute to the sustainable growth of the country’s economy.”

Technical specifications and cargo capacity

The ammonia-ready PCTC measures 200 metres in length, has a beam of 38 metres and a gross tonnage of about 77,500 tonnes. It is designed to transport vehicles including cars, SUVs and vans—both electric and conventionally powered—as well as other rolling cargo.

The vessel offers a capacity of 9,241 car equivalent units (CEU). Four decks are designed to carry rolling cargo with individual loads of up to 250 tonnes and heights of up to 6.5 metres, enabling the transport of heavy and oversized equipment.

Deployment and maiden voyage

The Grande Manila will depart from Taicang, China, on its maiden voyage carrying more than 5,800 vehicles and approximately 1,300 linear metres of rolling cargo, including buses, trucks and construction equipment. Cargo will be delivered to ports in the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium, with onward distribution via Grimaldi’s Antwerp hub to additional Northern European and Mediterranean destinations.

Following its Europe rotation, the vessel is scheduled to return to East Asia, with arrival in China expected by the end of April 2026.

Ammonia-ready and emissions performance

The vessel has received an ammonia-ready class notation from RINA, confirming that it can be converted in the future to operate on ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel. It is also equipped for shore power connection during port stays, allowing engines to be shut down where cold-ironing infrastructure is available. According to the owner, the ship’s electronically controlled engine complies with current international limits for CO₂, NOx and SOx emissions and is designed to reduce the CO₂ emissions index per unit of cargo by up to 50% compared with earlier generations of PCTCs.