The Grimaldi Group is a private shipping company owned by the Grimaldi family (Emanuele Grimaldi) and based in Naples, Italy. Grimaldi operates a large fleet of ro-ro, ro-ro/multipurpose, con-ro multipurpose, PCTC (Pure Car and Truck Carrier), ro-pax and cruise ferries vessels.[2]
Genre | Shipping |
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Founded | 1947 |
Founder | Guido, Luigi, Mario, Aldo and Ugo Grimaldi |
Headquarters | |
Key people | Gianluca Grimaldi Emanuele Grimaldi Diego Pacella[1] |
Services | Shipping Terminals Logistics |
Subsidiaries | Finnlines Minoan Lines ACL Grimaldi Lines |
Website | www |
The Grimaldi Group is a conglomerate of companies linked to the logistics business with a main focus on shipping. The main brands of the company are:[3]
The Grimaldi family has had links to shipping for many generations. According to their own records, the oldest written records linking the Grimaldi family to shipping dates back to 1348, when three Grimaldi brothers received a precious relic as a guarantee for the chartering of three ships, and the newest member inherited the company ( Emanuele Grimaldi the 1st). The current Grimaldi companies can be traced back to the middle of the 19th century when Italian shipowner Gioacchino Lauro started a steamboat company. His son Achille expanded that shipping company and, in the middle of the 20th century, it became one of the largest shipping companies in the world. At that time, Giovanni Grimaldi was a lawyer who was married to the sister of above Achille Lauro. Amelia Grimaldi-Lauro asked her brother Achille to take her son Guido under his wings, and this brought the Grimaldi family back into the shipping business. It was this son, Guido, who founded the group in 1947 with his brothers Luigi, Mario, Aldo, and Ugo by buying a Liberty ship. In those years, passenger transatlantic travelling reached its peak. The Grimaldi brothers realized the needs of the market and promptly started to transport passengers, focusing on Mediterranean- South America routes, with comfortable ships that regularly connected Italy to Buenos Aires, Caracas and other ports.[4] Since the early 60s, coinciding with Italy's economic boom, the Liberty ships were replaced with modern bulk carrier and tankers units, which enhanced the Group in the transport of goods. For the Grimaldi's, however, the turning point came in 1969, when the brothers inaugurated a new regular service between Italy and the United Kingdom, specifically dedicated to the transport of brand new vehicles. In a few years, all the major international car manufacturers knew Grimaldi and chose the company for the transport of their vehicles between Europe and the Mediterranean. Since then rolling freight has been the driving force of the growth of the Group. Over the last decades, the Group proceeded with an expansion policy of its maritime network, of its fleet and shore services. The Group's fleet increased from 36 units to over 130 ships and the brand became a landmark for the biggest vehicle manufacturers worldwide. At the same time the Group evolved to an integrated logistics operator, running a network of 22 owned port terminals located in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and West Africa (with a total surface of about 6.2 million m2) and managing various land transport companies for door-to-door distribution of brand new vehicles. In the last decades, the Group has also strongly invested in the development of the Motorways of the Sea in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, thus promoting EU's policy of shifting goods from the road to more environmentally friendly transport solutions. The Motorways of the Sea network was further extended between 2006 and 2008 with the acquisition of Finnlines, leader in the Baltic region, and Minoan Lines, leader in the Adriatic Sea, totalling today more than 120 routes.
The Grimaldi Group fleet includes over 130 ships, of which about 120 are owned, with an average age significantly below the industry average as well as the useful life of the ships. These young and modern units are deployed on regular services in a network that connects over 140 ports in 50 countries and 4 continents.[5] In recent years, the Group has invested heavily in the renewal and strengthening of its fleet, firstly by designing and commissioning the construction of new high-performance units with a reduced environmental impact. At the same time, numerous ships already in operation have undergone important green conversion works. About 80% of the Group's ships are dedicated to freight-only transport between Europe, the Near East, Africa, North and South America. The remaining units are deployed for the mixed transport of freight and passengers in Europe (Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea and North Sea).
The Grimaldi Group deploys around 30 ro-pax vessels for the mixed transport of goods and passengers in the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. With a fleet consisting mostly of modern and comfortable ferries, cruise ferries and a luxury catamaran, the Group transports rolling freight, cars and passengers between the main European ports under the Grimaldi Lines, Minoan Lines and Finnlines brands.[10] Fleet improvement initiatives have recently involved the two flagships of the Group's ro-pax fleet. The two state-of-the-art cruise ferries Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcelona – both operating since 2008 – underwent major lengthening and refurbishment works at the beginning of 2019 which further increased their energy efficiency and made them the first ships in the Mediterranean with Zero Emission in Port technology. In fact, thanks to the installation of mega lithium-ion batteries that are recharged during navigation, the vessel is capable of cutting emissions to zero during port stays. Each of the sister vessels can currently carry up to 3,500 passengers, 3,700 linear meters of rolling cargo and 271 cars.[11] In December 2019, Finnlines finalized a new order for the construction of two ro-pax units, which will be delivered by 2023. These new ships, which will inaugurate the innovative Superstar class, will be larger and more technologically advanced than the existing units belonging to the Star class.[12] In particular, this investment is aimed at increasing energy efficiency and further reducing the emissions generated by transport activities in the Baltic Sea, while at the same time raising the quality of the services offered to the company's passengers.
The company specializes in the maritime transport and distribution of shipping containers, automobiles, trucks, trailers, Mafi roll trailers, heavy construction machinery and other types of rolling cargo.[13] The core business of the Grimaldi Group is the transport of rolling and containerized goods on a global scale. The dense network of maritime connections operated links the main ports in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, West Africa, North and South America, and is conventionally divided into Atlantic Network and Euro-Med Network. The Atlantic Network includes all lines operated between the various shores of the Atlantic Ocean and is mainly dedicated to transport of rolling freight, containers, project cargo and special cargo. The Group has been operating on these lines for over 40 years, taking on the role of market leader and guaranteeing weekly departures from the main ports in North and South America, West Africa and Northern Europe. The Euro-Med Network was born in the mid-nineties. It includes frequent and regular services calling at over 50 ports in the Mediterranean (including Turkey and the Near East) and in the Baltic Region (including Russia). The Euro-Med connections are mostly dedicated to the automotive sector. The Grimaldi Group has also been the pioneer in the development of the Motorways of the Sea in Europe. The wide network of over 120 short sea routes extends in all the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe. For its short sea and deep sea services, the company deploys over 130 vessels, including ro-pax ships, ro-ro vessels, pure car and truck carriers, ro-ro multipurpose and container/ro-ro ships.[14]
The Group has been recognised by customers and specialised publications for the services offered to its clients as well as for its commitment to sustainability. Here is a list of the main awards received by the Grimaldi Group over the last decades:
Ship name | Flag | Built | Route | IMO | Tonnage | Length | Width | Passengers | Cars | Knots | Photo |
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Cruise Bonaria | 2000 | Livorno-Palermo | 9204063 | 37,551 | 214 m | 26.4 m | 2,500 | 665 | 31.5 | ||
Zeus Palace | 2001 | Livorno-Olbia | 9208071 | 31,730 | 212 m | 25 m | 1,706 | 580 | 31.5 | ||
Europa Palace | 2001 | Cagliari-Napoli Cagliari-Palermo |
9198939 | 32,728 | 203.9 m | 25 m | 1,800 | 712 | 28.9 | ||
Cruise Ausonia | 2002 | Napoli-Palermo | 9227429 | 30,902 | 199.9 m | 25 m | 1,821 | 649 | 31.2 | ||
Catania | 2003 | Salerno-Palermo |
9261554 | 25,955 | 186.5 m | 25.6 m | 934 | 480 | 22.5 | ||
Venezia | 2004 | Igoumenitsa-Ancona | 9304631 | 26,400 | 186 m | 25.6 m | 946 | 400 | 23 | ||
Florencia | 2004 | Igoumenitsa-Ancona | 9287584 | 26,302 | 186 m | 25.6 m | 946 | 400 | 24 | ||
Corfu | 2006 | Civitavecchia-Cagliari Civitavecchia-Arbatax | 9349758 | 27,522 | 186.5 m | 25.6 m | 950 | 400 | 24 | ||
Europalink | 2007 | Igoumenitsa-Brindisi | 9319454 | 46,124 | 218.8 m | 30.5 m | 925 | 366 | 25 | ||
Cruise Roma | 2008 | Civitavecchia-Porto Torres- Barcelona |
9351476 | 63,742 | 254 m | 30.4 m | 3,500 | 963 | 27.5 | ||
Cruise Barcelona | 2008 | Civitavecchia-Porto Torres- Barcelona |
9351488 | 63,742 | 254 m | 30.4 m | 3,500 | 963 | 27.5 | ||
Cruise Europa | 2009 | Livorno-Olbia | 9351490 | 54,310 | 225 m | 30.4 m | 2,850 | 963 | 27.5 | ||
Cruise Sardegna | 2010 | Livorno-Olbia | 9351505 | 54,310 | 225 m | 30.4 m | 2,850 | 963 | 27.5 |