Grimaldi Group — 2022-10-02
Members Corner
The Grimaldi Group has celebrated its 75th anniversary in style with the official opening of the XXV Euromed Convention From Land to Sea.
This year’s edition of the international summit, organized annually by the Neapolitan Group, is bringing together in Sorrento 800 top players from institutions and the financial, logistics, port management and transport sectors.
The convention is focusing on the energy transition process, which must be supported by a valid international strategy in terms of emission reduction. If, on the one hand, the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has the merit of also stimulating non-European countries to apply similar measures, on the other it is necessary to curb the risk of uneven and fragmented regulation that would ultimately lose its effectiveness. In this sense, the introduction of global directives by IMO (International Maritime Organization) would be preferable to achieve the goal of decarbonization.
The XXV Euromed Convention began with greetings from the Greek Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Ioannis Plakiotakis and European Coordinator for the Motorways of the Sea Kurt Bodewig.
In his opening speech, Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi provided a broad overview of the environmentally sustainable present and ‘green’ future of what is Italy’s leading shipping group and the number one player in the Motorways of the Sea in Europe. He also reiterated that in the last 12 months the Grimaldi Group has recorded its best ever performances.
2022 sees the entry into the fleet of some seven new ro-ro vessels. They are all members of the GG5G (Grimaldi Green 5th Generation) class, namely the world’s largest and most eco-friendly, short sea ro-ro ships, with capacity for over 500 trailers per voyage.
In addition, the Group currently has 10 future fleet members under construction. These newbuilds, which are due for delivery within the next two years, are as follows: six multipurpose ro-ro G5 class ships for intercontinental routes, two Superstar class vessels for the transportation of freight and passengers for the subsidiary Finnlines, and two additional ro-ro ships belonging to the GG5G class.
Meanwhile, another order is about to be signed for 10 PCTCs (Pure Track Car Carriers) with loading capacity of 9,000 CEUs (Car Equivalent Units) each.
Together, the newbuilds will enable a marked reduction in pollutant emissions, ranging from 50% to 70% compared to a fleet of conventional cargo ships.
Furthermore, the Grimaldi Group has confirmed its partnerships with key players in marine technology innovation, with the aim of exploring and implementing an ever-increasing number of eco-friendly, state-of-the-art solutions.
As well as this major investment plan for fleet expansion and innovation, the Group has also undertaken an important program of acquisitions involving port terminals and logistics. In 2022, 33% of Antwerp Euroterminal was acquired, meaning that it is now wholly owned by the Grimaldi Group: this terminal has the biggest multi-storey car park in Belgium, with a total surface area of 172,000 m2 on 7 levels and room for 9,700 vehicles.
The Grimaldi Group also acquired a 90% shareholding in Brucato De.T.A., a leading Sicilian intermodal transport company operating internationally. Further investments in terminals and logistics are already in the pipeline, in Northern Europe, Greece, Italy and Spain.
“In the last 12 months the companies belonging to our Group have recorded their best ever performances,” said Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi. “This was achieved thanks to our intelligent investment policy, to a 500,000-tonne fuel reduction across the fleet, to R&D of new marine technology, and to the substantial boost we’ve given to terminal and logistical activities.”
“Following the recent launch of our regular service carrying vehicles between Europe and the Far East, we can celebrate our 75th anniversary by proudly flying the Grimaldi Group flag on all the world’s seas and all five continents.”
The proceedings of the XXV Euromed Convention continued with the first panel debate on “Transition Energy: a technological challenge for Europe’s Maritime Sector”. Moderated by ICS (International Chamber of Shipping) Secretary General Guy Platten, panellists were Arsenio Dominguez (Director of IMO’s Marine Environment Division), Annick De Ridder (Chairwoman of the Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority), Ricardo Batista (Policy Officer DG-Move, European Commission), Ugo Salerno (CEO of RINA), Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (World Maritime University President), Mikael Mäkinen (CEO of Corvus Energy), and Dario Bocchetti (Grimaldi Group Head of Energy Saving, R&D and Ship Design).
Next, the journalist Nunzia Di Girolamo interviewed the current Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility Enrico Giovannini.
The second panel discussion, called “Intermodal Transport in the Mediterranean area: which toolbox for a sound growth?” was moderated by Morena Pivetti, a journalist from the magazine Fortune Italia. The panelists were Ettore Morace (Trasmed GLE Managing Director), Maria Teresa di Matteo (Director General, Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility), Lluis Paris (Commercial Manager, Port de Barcelona), Andrea Agostinelli (South Tyrrhenian and Ionian Sea Port System Authority Chairman), Francesco Di Sarcina (Eastern Sicily Sea Port System Authority Chairman) and Guido Grimaldi (ALIS President).