By
Laura Hyde |
Marine architecture firm Deltamarin is to design and engineer six ro-pax ferries to be built at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China. Deltamarin will begin the project immediately and once the vessels are delivered between 2028 and 2030, they will sail key routes in the Mediterranean.
Four of the vessels will sail under the Italian flag and be operated under the Grimaldi Lines brand, while the remaining two will be registered under the Greek flag and operated by Grimaldi’s subsidiary Minoan Lines.
All six ferries will be designed to offer high freight and passenger capacity, accommodating up to 2,500 passengers and 300 vehicles. They will also be equipped with solutions to deliver ‘next generation’ environmental performance.
Each 229-metre vessel will be powered by methanol-capable engines, making them the first ships in the Mediterranean designed specifically to operate with this alternative fuel. The ships will feature optimised hull and propeller designs and advanced onboard power management systems, as well as shore power connectors. It is hoped these features will enable the operators to collectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions per cargo unit by more than 50 per cent compared with current vessels operating on similar routes.