The Great Cotonou joins the Grimaldi fleet and inaugurates the China-West Africa service

With this delivery, the G5 class of six state-of-the-art ro-ro multipurpose vessels is now complete. The ship will operate alongside a sister vessel on the Neapolitan group’s brand-new deep-sea route.

Naples, 23 December 2024: With the delivery of the Great Cotonou on 20 December at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd shipyard in Ulsan (South Korea), all six innovative G5-class ro-ro multipurpose vessels are now fully operational in the Grimaldi fleet.

With length of 250 metres, beam of 38 metres and deadweight of 45,684 tonnes, the design of the Great Cotonou and her sister vessels is the result of a careful study of the needs of the Group and its customers: thanks to an innovative and completely customized internal configuration, these ships are able to transport 4,700 linear metres of rolling freight, 2,500 CEU (Car Equivalent Units) and 2,000 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units). Compared to the previous G4-class, they have the same capacity for rolling freight while their container capacity is double.

In addition to loading capacity, the Great Cotonou stands out for her numerous cutting-edge technological solutions aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The result is a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions per tonne transported of up to 43% less compared to other Grimaldi ro-ro multipurpose vessels. In addition, she is designed for cold ironing with shoreside supply of electricity (where available) as a green alternative to the consumption of fossil fuels during port stays.

In January 2025, the Great Cotonou will inaugurate a brand-new Grimaldi Group route connecting China to Lagos (Nigeria). The ship will operate alongside a sister vessel, providing a service with an initial monthly frequency.

This new maritime link will allow the shipment of various types of rolling cargo (such as cars, vans, trucks, construction and agricultural machinery) and of containers from China with transshipment at the Grimaldi-owned PTML terminal in Lagos for delivery to the main ports in West Africa and Brazil.

This major announcement was made during the vessel’s christening ceremony, held at the South Korean shipyard on 17 December. The event was attended by numerous guests, including Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd President and CEO H.K. Kim, Senior Vice Presidents C. O. Park and H. J. Choi, and Andrea Grimaldi, Deep Sea Lines Executive Manager of the Grimaldi Group. The ship’s godmother was Bernardette Bottino, wife of Peter Bottino, President and CEO of AES, one of Grimaldi Group’s key clients for vehicle transportation between the United States and West Africa.

“Today, we introduce two major innovations: the Great Cotonou, the sixth and final technological gem of the G5 class, and the new regular service that will enable the transport of rolling cargo and containers between China, West Africa, and Brazil,” stated Gian Luca Grimaldi, President of Grimaldi Group S.p.A. “We are proud to offer our customers an increasingly extensive network of services that stand out for their high transport capacity and environmental sustainability, thanks to our increasingly young and cutting-edge fleet.”