The Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of Grande Michigan, the eighth ammonia-ready pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) in its fleet, from China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu. Built to 220m in length with a beam of 38m, a gross tonnage of 93,145 and a service speed of 18knots, the vessel continues a fleet renewal programme that has established Grimaldi as one of the more technically progressive operators in the automotive shipping sector.

Across its 14 decks, Grande Michigan has a maximum capacity of 9,000 car equivalent units, with stowage arrangements capable of accommodating battery electric vehicles alongside those running on conventional fuels, a flexibility that has become a commercial requirement as the automotive sector’s transition to electrification continues at uneven pace across different markets.

The vessel is fitted with a gate rudder, a configuration first introduced to the PCTC sector on Grande Shanghai, the lead vessel of this series, delivered in July 2025, and now standard across the class. Developed originally by Kuribayashi Steamship in Japan and licensed globally by Wärtsilä, the arrangement positions two foil-shaped blades symmetrically either side of the propeller centreline. It functions simultaneously as a post-swirl energy recovery device, capturing rotational energy from the propeller slipstream that would otherwise be lost, and as a conventional steering system, with the claimed benefit of improved low-speed manoeuvrability at the automotive terminals at which the vessel will regularly call.

Grimaldi claims a 50% reduction in fuel consumption compared with earlier-generation car carriers, attributing the figure to a package of efficiency measures. These include an air lubrication system reducing frictional resistance at the hull-water interface, a silicone-based foul-release hull coating, and 2,500m² of solar panels across the upper decks. Smart building management systems govern ventilation and air conditioning loads to reduce hotel power demand. The 50% figure is presented without a defined baseline vessel or operational condition and should be read as a comparative design estimate rather than a demonstrated in-service figure.

The main engine is electronically controlled and fitted with an exhaust gas cleaning system to limit sulphur oxide and particulate matter output. Selective catalytic reduction maintains nitrogen oxide emissions below IMO Tier III limits.

A lithium-ion battery energy storage system with a combined capacity of 5MWh supports onboard power management. The vessel is also fitted for cold ironing, enabling zero-emission port operations wherever shore power infrastructure is available, a capability of growing relevance as EU regulations extend onshore power supply obligations at European terminals.

Grande Michigan has received the Ammonia Ready notation from Italian classification society RINA, confirming that her structural arrangements, piping routing, ventilation provisions, and safety systems have been designed to facilitate future conversion to ammonia-fuelled propulsion without major structural intervention. The notation reflects the industry’s broader effort to preserve conversion optionality on newbuilds, given the current immaturity of ammonia bunkering infrastructure and the unresolved challenges surrounding the fuel’s toxicity in a shipboard environment.

Additional RINA notations include Green Plus, Green Star 3, Comfort Vibration, and Comfort Noise Port. The Comfort notations address habitability standards, a consideration of some weight on a vessel that will operate on a continuous deep-sea rotation.

Grande Michigan departed on her maiden voyage from Taicang, China, the commercial loading port proximate to the CMHI Jiangsu yard, carrying more than 7,000 cars and vans alongside more than 100 rolling units including heavy vehicles, MAFI trailers, and project cargo, bound for Mediterranean ports on Grimaldi’s Asia–Europe service.

The delivery extends a newbuild programme that has seen Grimaldi take eight ammonia-ready PCTCs in relatively quick succession. Whether the efficiency package’s cumulative gains can be validated under operational conditions across varied load factors and seasonal routing will be of material interest to competitors and the wider automotive logistics market.

This article appeared in News, TNA Mar/Apr 2026