8. A ship dedicated to carrying cars and trucks was inaugurated in Port Newark
Normally, when one thinks about a christening, the act is most often associated with a religious practice done to babies as they enter into the Christian faith. However, the practice is also commonly done to ships across the world, intended to invite good luck during voyages. A typical christening event for ships will involve the breaking of a champagne bottle over the bow of the ship as its name is read aloud and launched for the first time into the ocean.
On April 18, 2018, The Grande New York, a pure car and truck carrier part of the Grimaldi Group’s new fleet of ships, was christened in the Port of New York and New Jersey at the Port Newark Auto Marine Terminal. With a length of 199,900 meters and a gross tonnage of 63.000 tonnes, The Grande New York is extremely flexible, being equipped with four hoistable decks that allow transportation for any type of rolling cargo up to 5.2 meters high. Deployed on the North American-Mediterannean route, the ship performs remarkably well from an environmental standpoint, being fitted with an electronically controlled main engine and scrubber to reduce its NOx and SOx emissions. The Grande New York was blessed by Father Peter Haldas of St. John Paul II, with its godmother being Amanda Matilda Cuomo Cole, granddaughter of former NY Governor, Mario Cuomo, and niece of current NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. The ceremony was attended by several maritime authorities, customers, port operators, and managers of Grimaldi Group among others.
