Grande New York, A Ship Dedicated Entirely to Carrying Cars and Trucks

A pure car and truck carrier, the Grande New York, made an appearance last week at the busiest port on the East Coast, the Port of New York and New Jersey at Port Newark Auto Marine Terminal. Measuring 655.839 feet (199.900 meters) in length, 10.583 feet (32.26 meters) in width, and weighing in at nearly 69.445 tons (63.000 tonnes), this mighty vessel has the ability to cruise at a speed of 19 knots while transporting nearly 6,700 rolling cargo or car units (cars, vans, trucks, tractors, buses, excavators, etc.).

The second of a series of three sister units, Grande New York is part of a new fleet from the Grimaldi Group, a maritime transport company based out of Naples, Italy. Since 1947, the Grimaldi Group — which boasts a fleet of over 100 vessels, and comprises seven main shipping companies, including Atlantic Container Line (ACL), Malta Motorways of the Sea (MMS), Minoan Lines and Finnlines — has been providing innovative and high quality maritime services for the transport of cars and other rolling cargo between North and South America, North Europe, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, and West Africa.

Photo courtesy Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

To honor and celebrate the addition of Grande New York as a new freight carrier, a ceremony was held at the Port of NY-NJ at Port Newark Auto Marine Terminal, featuring former New York Governor Mario Cuomo’s granddaughter, Amanda Matilda Cuomo Cole. During the event, the ship was blessed as it began its ro-ro service between the Mediterranean and North America. It will service New York, Baltimore, Halifax, Gemlik (Turkey), Gioia Tauro (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Savona (Italy), Veracruz (Mexico) and Antwerp (Belgium).

Photo courtesy Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The Grande New York was designed with environmentally-friendly technology, including an electronically controlled main engine that complies with the new regulations for reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. Additionally, the ship features an installed scrubber that reduces sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, as well as a ballast water treatment unit, allowing the vessel to meet the future international regulations. Those interested in tracking the voyage of this massive cargo ship can view port updates on the vessel tracking website.

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