en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Grimaldi Group has launched its latest-generation vessel, the Grande Istanbul, at the Autoport terminal in the Kocaeli port complex in Turkey. This vessel is one of 17 pure car and truck carriers ordered by the company to enhance global automotive logistics efficiency and sustainability, and it is already equipped for ammonia fuel capability.
The vessel has a cargo capacity of 9,241 CEU and can reduce CO₂ emissions per unit of cargo by up to 50% compared to previous-generation car carriers. The Grande Istanbul was delivered in November 2025 by Chinese shipyards Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. (CSTC), both subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). This PCTC measures 200 meters in length, 38 meters in width, and has a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tons.
The Grande Istanbul currently serves the EuroMed route, connecting Northern Europe and multiple Mediterranean ports, including Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa, and İzmir in Turkey. This route transports cars, vans, trucks, other rolling cargo, and containers, providing transport solutions for manufacturers and logistics operators. Since the mid-1990s, the group has operated regular car carrier services connecting the Turkish city of İzmir with key ports in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
The Grimaldi Group currently has a fleet of approximately 20 latest-generation ro-ro vessels and PCTCs in Turkey, with a total investment of about €1.2 billion ($1.371 billion). This fleet regularly serves ports such as Ambarli, Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa, Yalova, Yeniköy, and İzmir. In 2025 alone, Grimaldi vessels completed 750 calls at Turkish ports, connecting Turkey to a global network of over 150 terminals in more than 60 countries across five continents through direct and transshipment services. During the same period, the company transported approximately 560,000 cars, vans, and other rolling cargo to and from Turkey on the Euro-Med service, and nearly 100,000 trucks, trailers, and containers on short-sea shipping services. In 2026, the group is achieving year-on-year growth of +50%, driven by capacity increases and service expansion.
Guido Grimaldi, Commercial Director of Short Sea Shipping at the Grimaldi Group, stated: "The friendship between Italy and Turkey is deeply rooted. Today, thanks to the concrete commitment of the Grimaldi Group, this historical bond is transforming into increasingly solid commercial alliances. We firmly believe in the Turkish market and its country, which represents a unique logistics platform in the Mediterranean region, located at the crossroads of three continents. We have ambitious plans to continue developing short-sea shipping and car carrier services to and from the country, thereby supporting its trade relations with the rest of the world."
