‘Green Giants’ Launched in the Italy-Greece Freight Line

Two “green giants”, the hybrid vessels Eco Catania and Eco Malta of the Italian Grimaldi Group, started operating the freight line between Italy and Greece on Monday.

The Neapolitan shipping group, in synergy with the Port System Authorities of the Northern Adriatic Sea and of the Southern Adriatic Sea, as well as that of the Greek port of Patras, aims to enhance maritime intermodality between the two shores of the Adriatic. The duo will replace the “Eurocargo” class ships currently operating on the line.

Each of the two “GG5G”-class ships can carry some 7,800 linear metres of freight, equivalent to around 500 trailers and 180 cars – twice as much as the previous class of short sea ro-ro ships deployed by the Grimaldi Group.

However, Grimaldi claims that this greater capacity does not increase fuel consumption thanks to the adoption of numerous highly innovative technological solutions that optimize the vessels’ operational and environmental performance.

Italy-Greece freight ships cut emissions to zero in ports

At the same speed, Eco Catania and Eco Malta consume the same amount of fuel as the previous generation ro-ro ships, meaning they can effectively halve CO2 emissions per unit transported, the company said.

In addition, emissions are cut to zero during port operations: when they are at berth, Eco Catania and Eco Malta use the electricity stored in mega lithium batteries which are recharged during navigation thanks to shaft generators and 350 m2 of solar panels installed on board, thus reaching the “Zero Emission in Port” target.

“Having ships producing zero emission in port represents a key investment for the sustainable future of our seaports”, Ugo Patroni Griffi, President of the Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea, said.

“The new ships using advanced technological solutions in terms of halving the emissions of CO2, will enhance our port,” stated Panagiotis Tsonis, CEO of the Patras Port Authority.

“The local community and the people living in the surrounding area of the port will welcome this new development. Furthermore, the increased capacity of the above-mentioned Ro-Ro ships will optimize the efficiency and the productivity of our Port”, he added.

Motorways of the sea

“With our highly efficient maritime services, the result of years of commitment and concrete investments and collaboration with the port authorities, we have built a solid bridge on the Adriatic ridge, from Venice to Bari, which runs up to the Greek shores of the Adriatic; a fundamental bridge on which hundreds of heavy vehicles travel every day, using the motorways of the sea rather than land roads”, said Grimaldi Group Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi.

“Starting Monday, this bridge will become even “greener”, like the liveries of the hybrid ships Eco Catania and Eco Malta that we will deploy on our regular Venice-Bari-Patras maritime link. With our operations, we will further boost maritime intermodality and guarantee even more efficient transport services between Italy and Greece,” he added.