Grimaldi Group has held the christening ceremony of its vessel Grande Svezia at the port of Wallhamn, Sweden, marking the formal introduction of one of its ammonia-ready pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) to Swedish customers and partners.

The ceremony took place on 25 May, with the vessel having been delivered in December 2025. The Grande Svezia is one of 11 ammonia-ready PCTCs currently in the Grimaldi Group fleet, with six additional units scheduled for delivery by 2027. The vessels are designed to accommodate the future use of ammonia as a zero-carbon alternative fuel, though the technology has not yet been deployed operationally.

The godmother of the vessel was Francesca Gamboni, Chief Industrial Operations Officer of Volvo Cars, who performed the traditional bottle-breaking ceremony. Welcome speeches were delivered by Sven-Göran Sjöström, Managing Director of Grimaldi Maritime Agencies Sweden, and Costantino Baldissara, Automotive Atlantic Director of the Grimaldi Group. Attendees included representatives from Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks, who were given tours of the vessel.

The Grande Svezia operates on Grimaldi's EuroMed service, connecting ports across the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, with calls in Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Morocco, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Grimaldi has served Sweden for more than 30 years and manages the port of Wallhamn — Sweden's only private port — as part of its operations.

Built by China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu shipyard in China, the vessel is 220 metres long and 38 metres wide, with a gross tonnage of 91,611 and a service speed of 18 knots. Across 14 decks, she has a maximum capacity of 9,000 car equivalent units (CEU) and is capable of transporting both electric and conventionally powered vehicles.

The Grande Svezia is equipped with a range of technologies aimed at reducing emissions and fuel consumption. These include mega lithium batteries with a total capacity of 5 MWh, cold ironing capability, 2,500 square metres of solar panels, and silicon-based hull coatings designed to reduce hydrodynamic resistance. The vessel also features an air lubrication system, an optimised hull design, a gate rudder, and advanced exhaust gas cleaning systems said to reduce SOx, NOx, and particulate emissions. Smart systems for optimising ventilation and air conditioning are also fitted.

According to Grimaldi, compared with previous generations of car carriers, the Grande Svezia is capable of achieving fuel consumption reductions of up to 50%.