Italian Grimaldi Group has held a christening ceremony at the port of Valletta for Eco Malta, the latest hybrid roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel delivered to the company in March.
Said to be one of the largest and most eco-friendly Ro-Ro ships in the world, Eco Malta is the sixth out of 12 hybrid ships in Grimaldi Green 5th Generation (GG5G) class built by the Chinese Jinling shipyard in Nanjing.
The vessel will be in service in the Mediterranean with a transport capacity of over 500 trailers just like its five GG5G-class sister ships.
According to Grimaldi, these green giants are able to halve CO2 emissions compared to the previous generation of Ro-Ro ships operated by the company and even reduce them to zero while they are at berth.
During port stays, GG5G-class ships can use the electrical energy stored by mega lithium batteries with a total power of 5MWh, which are recharged during navigation thanks to shaft generators and 350 square metres of solar panels.
Moreover, they are equipped with electronically-controlled engines and an exhaust gas cleaning system for the abatement of sulphur and particulate emissions.
In recent weeks, Eco Malta has joined its sister vessel, Eco Catania , on the connections between Ravenna, Brindisi, Catania and between Genoa and Malta, the company added.
“Being here today in Malta for this special occasion, to name the largest and most sustainable ship in the world, is a source of great pride for us after having served the country for over sixty years”, said Eugenio Grimaldi , Executive Manager of Grimaldi Group. “This marks an important milestone for the maritime and transport industry locally as well as in the whole Mediterranean.”
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