Tag Archive for: Grimaldi Lines

The Escola Europea is committed to sustainability and digitisation

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The Executive and Steering Committees of the Escola Europea met in Barcelona on 26th May for its annual meeting to talk about sustainability.

On 26th May, the Executive and Steering Committees of the Escola Europea met in Barcelona under the presidency of Damià Calvet. After two years of online meetings, this year 2022 the meeting was held in hybrid format on the premises of the Port Authority of Barcelona.

The meeting was attended by Silvio Ferrando representing the ports of Genoa; Luca Lupi on behalf the ports of Rome; Mario Massarotti as a representative of Grimaldi Group; Matteo Catani and Antonio Pedevila in the name of GNV; Catalina Grimalt for the Port of Barcelona and Eduard Rodés and Concha Palacios for the Escola Europea.

In the balance of activities for the financial year 2021, the recovery of face-to-face activities and the favorable evolution of the year 2022 stood out, in which the number of students and courses has grown more than in 2019. The activities related to international projects have also grown and the presence of the Escola Europea in the Mediterranean countries has been consolidated.

 

It is worth highlighting the commitment to the portvirtuallab.com platform, which has meant a technological leap in the development of training models for the digital transition, based on virtual simulators. This places the Escola as a benchmark for innovation in the field of digitalisation in the logistics-port sector.

A second innovative element has been the creation of a sustainability office specialized in the port logistics sector.  Managed by specialists in sustainability management, its objective is to provide support to companies that need to draw up their sustainability reports.

Training, digitalisation and sustainability make up the basic axes of development of the Escola Europea, which this year reaches its 15th anniversary. With a huge activity in Spain and Italy the schools presence has increased in importance across the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.

 

#DidYouKnow – Zero emission stays in ports

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Smart cities to smart ports. The Escola Europea knows how important it is to include current innovations being piloted, tested and implemented within the transport sector to counter-act climate change in its courses. Our trademark MOST course takes place on board of the Grimaldi Lines vessels Cruise Roma or Cruise Barcelona (depending on the day the courses begin). These vessels have recently undergone tremendous alternations to become the first emission-free vessels in port in the Mediterranean. Antonio Vargas, one of the MOST course regular teachers, explains their importance and relevance to the current legal and political climate within the region:

Sustainability has been the subject of debate in recent years and the awareness of some shipowners on this subject has led them to adopt many measures that in some cases are required by law, but in others arise from the concern to combat pollution generated in ports and its impact on the cities they serve.

Since the implementation of the European regulation applicable to SECA (Sulphur Emission Control Zones) zones for the reduction of emissions from ships sailing in the English Channel, Baltic Sea and North Sea, and particularly from January 2015, shipowners were forced to replace the use of fossil fuels (HSFO or LSFO) by the Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) and alternatives with a maximum permissiveness of 0.5 percent sulphur contents. This resulted in three options:

  1. Opting for the first measure with the consequent 50 percent increase in the cost of fuel;
  2. Providing ships with scrubbers that allow them to clean the ship’s exhaust gases before leaving through one of the chimneys;
  3. Significantly increasing freight rates, if the market were to accept such increases, or, in the worst case scenarios, suspending maritime services (a situation that has occurred in some cases).

In practice option b) has been chosen by the majority of shipowners, both with open cycle scrubbers and closed cycle scrubbers.

A current and demonstrative example of this situation has been the case of the shipping company Finnlines, belonging to the GRIMALDI group that planned its strategy so that all of its fleet would be equipped with scrubbers before January 2015.

“Zero emissions in ports” was the slogan used by the Grimaldi group to demonstrate its environmental commitment. The company equipped the vessels Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcelona with lithium batteries that allow them to consume only electricity during their stays in port, avoiding the use of generators powered by MDO.

Following this policy, 12 RoRo ships are being built in the People’s Republic of China which, with a capacity for 500 semitrailers, in addition to lithium batteries, will be equipped with solar panels, silicone paints, propellers coupled to the rudder, alongside other technological innovations, including scrubbers. These give value to the Grimaldi Green 5th Generation programme, which is being developed by the GRIMALDI group and which will be operational between 2020 and 2022.

The Grimaldi group, through its adhesion to the “SAILS” Charter (Sustainable Actions for Innovative and Low Impact Shipping) has confirmed its commitment to contribute to the protection and improvement of the marine environment, an initiative launched last July (2019) by the French government, with the support of the French Navigation Association. It was the first Italian company to sign the charter.

The company’s green commitment also reaches the terminals, with the installation of solar panels and wind towers, as with the case of the Valencia Terminal Europe which has joined the European project H2PORTS (implementing fuel cells and Hydrogen Technologies in Ports).

As a member of the International Chamber of Shipping the Group agreed to pursue the Global Goal of halving its total CO2 emissions by 2050. Finally, as a founding member of the Clean Shipping Alliance, it has actively committed to provide support in the implementation of new standards emanating from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on sulphur emissions.

To know more about the legislation and the new initiatives regarding environment in transport, check out the latest edition of the MOST Iberia training programme. Sign up!

Written by

  • Antonio Vargas, Grimaldi Lines

The Escola prepares a new edition of the course MOST Italy dedicated to Italian professionals

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MOST Italy is a training course for professionals that the Escola Europea – Intermodal Transport offers exclusively to the members of Italian logistics and transport sector.

This year’s edition, the fifth in a row, will last four days and will be held on board of a Grimaldi Lines Ro-Pax vessel, a leading company specialising in short sea shipping services that connect the Italian peninsula to the port of Barcelona.

The course is aimed exclusively at professionals of varying profiles: logistics operators, shipping agencies, port authorities and relevant institutions in the sector. The objective of the training is to introduce the participants to the key elements needed to build efficient supply chains, which can incorporate the motorways of the sea as a sustainable alternative to land transport, and as a crucial element of the intermodal turn. In addition to lectures offering theoretical knowledge, the course offers workshops and visits that allow participants to experience and directly observe intermodal operations.

To complement the study, networking activities will be organised to facilitate the development and exchange of contacts details between professionals and experts in the national sector. It is the relationships that are created during the course that make it a unique experience, as one of the participants of the 2018 edition explained: “The organization of the course is impeccable. I hope to be able to attend more courses in the coming years, to increase my network of knowledge, deepen my studies and find new incentives to improve and continue to grow”.

The training is given by experts and professionals from the Italian and Spanish sectors, ensuring that the participants receive high quality educational content. The teaching team will be composed of representatives of companies and institutions directly involved in the management of short sea shipping in Italy: port authorities, shipping companies and the Mediterranean Motorway Network.

The course, in addition to being able to count on the support of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, has the support of important associations in the sector, including: Assoporti, Confitarma, Assarmatori and ALIS (Associazione Logistica dell’Intermodalità Sostenibile). One of the main objectives of ALIS, which has united more than 400 companies, is to promote intermodality as a logistical solution perfectly combining the philosophy that moves and inspires the Escola in its training activities.

A list of all the courses for professionals offered by the Escola  with the relevant programmes can be found here:

https://escolaeuropea.eu/training/professional-courses/.

Grimaldi begins the remodeling of the ferries that operate between Barcelona and Civitavecchia

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Grimaldi has started the process of lengthening and remodelling the Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcelona ferries, which usually cover the route between Barcelona and Civitavecchia, in Italy.

The changes will ensure that the vessels will have a greater capacity for freight and passengers, and they will incorporate new improvements to reduce their emissions and eliminate them completely during the stay in the Catalan port.

At the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, new gas cleaning systems will be installed to reduce the emissions of their engines during navigation. They will also have a new lithium battery system to store the electricity produced during navigation and supply it to the ship when it is moored in the port, replacing the auxiliary generators.

The goal is to reduce emissions to zero during the vessels’ stays in the ports, thus aligning with the environmental objectives that the Port of Barcelona has already set, defined in its Air Quality Improvement Plan.

In addition, the hulls will be lengthened with a new cross section of 29 meters, after which they will have a length of 254 meters, a gross weight of 63,000 tons and capacity for 3,500 passengers, 3,700 linear meters for rolling cargo and 3,000 m² of roof for vehicles.

The two vessels are certified Arete recipients of the Escola Europea.

Source: Cadena de Suministro

Next Generation RoRo Freight and Passenger Ships Produce Zero Emissions in Port

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Latest Battery Technology, Solar Power and Unique Hull Features Halve Fuel Consumption. 

ITALY – DENMARK – CHINA – The name Grimaldi has been associated with shipping since 1348 and today the Grimaldi group operates several services under a variety of titles, but maintains at its heart RoRo ferry services throughout the Mediterranean. Last month the announcement was made that the company has ordered six new such freight and passenger vessels from the Nanjing Jinling Shipyard, China and once again a contract between the yard and Danish marine engineering and design group Knud E Hansen means further development to the already established Grimaldi/ Knud E Hansen design.

The design of the newbuilds was developed by the Technical and Energy Saving Department of the Grimaldi Group together with Knud E Hansen in close cooperation with the shipyard. The RoRo’s are known as the ‘Grimaldi Green 5th Generation’ (GG5G) and will have a length of 238 metres, a beam of 34 metres and a gross tonnage of 64,000 tonnes. They will be able to transport over 7,800 lane meters of rolling units, equivalent to approximately 500 trailers.

The ships, the first of which is expected to be delivered in 2020, will use electricity in port, courtesy of large lithium batteries, thus guaranteeing zero emissions whilst at berth. These batteries will be recharged during navigation, through shaft generators adding the so-called peak shaving system, and with the aid of 600 m2 of solar panels, well suited to the three Grimaldi Lines vessels working in the Mediterranean environment, but still effective in the Baltic where the balance will be deployed on behalf of Finn Lines.

Grimaldi has invested a total of over $400 million and the new vessels are capable of carrying more than twice the quantity of vehicles than the largest of the incumbent ships operated by the company. As fuel consumption is the same as the previous craft, the energy saving when fully loaded will equate to 100%. There are several patented features in the design already together with more environmentally friendly features. The dreaded sulphur produced by the propulsive cylinders is combined with salt extracted from brine which converts it to gypsum in a chemical reaction.

The hulls are coated with silicon as opposed to traditional toxic anti fouling chemicals and the keel is designed to produce low level turbulence, with the consequent bubble streams reducing friction on an already slick surface, thereby aiding fuel consumption, an avowed aim of President Gianluca Grimaldi and his fellow directors. Knud E Hansen Managing Director Finn Wollesen said:

“It’s been a pleasure to cooperate with Grimaldi on the design of these vessels. The collaboration has been very fruitful and enabled us to develop a new generation of vessels that represents real advancement in terms of sustainability and efficiency by using various new technologies.”

Source: Handy Shipping Guide

Grimaldi receives the ‘Naval Award of the Year’ for its services of vehicle transport

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The Grimaldi Group has received the ‘Naval Award of the Year’ at the fourth edition of the North American Automotive Awards, which have been held in the US city of Detroit, Michigan.

The Italian shipping company has become one of the main providers of integrated maritime transport logistics services for vehicle manufacturers.

This award, given annually by the Three6Zero Group, aims to recognize global excellence in the supply chain of the automotive sector. In total, 21 companies and professionals have been awarded for their achievements in the sector or for the development of new ways of thinking and working.

With 70 years of experience, the Italian shipping company, based in Naples, has become one of the main providers of integrated maritime transport logistics services for vehicle manufacturers.

Currently, it offers various maritime services both for ro-ro cargo and for the transport of containers to North American destinations. Its Grimaldi Lines brand operates regular connections from the eastern and western Mediterranean, and also from the coasts of West Africa, while its brand Atlantic Container Line, ACL, covers a weekly route that passes through several ports of northern Europe before reaching the American continent.

Source: Cadena de Suministro