Italian shipping company Grimaldi Group has ordered 18 TIER II-compliant main engines from MAN Energy Solutions for nine RoRo vessels.

The 7,800 lane-metre vessels will operate in the Mediterranean Sea.

The MAN B&W 9S50ME-C9.6 engines will be built by MAN Energy Solutions’ two-stroke licensee Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea, while Jiangsu Jinling Shipyard will construct the vessels in Nanjing, China.

MAN Energy expects to deliver the first vessels to Grimaldi beginning next year and will supply one TCA66 turbocharger for each engine.

As the new RoRo hybrid vessels use fuel oil during navigation and lithium mega-batteries in the harbour, they guarantee zero emissions in port.

At the time of navigation, the batteries will be recharged through shaft generators, adding the peak shaving system.

MAN Energy Solutions senior vice-president and Two-Stroke Business head Bjarne Foldager said: “The bidding process was very competitive but, happily, a clear preference was expressed for our engines.

“We thank the Grimaldi Group for its custom and look forward to powering these unique vessels.”

“Along with MAN PrimeServ, our after-sales business, we thank the Grimaldi Group for its custom and look forward to powering these unique vessels.”

The new 238m-long RoRos will have a beam of 34m and a gross tonnage of 64,000t with a loading capacity double that of the Neapolitan group’s existing vessel.

As part of the hybrid propulsion set-up, the MAN B&W ME-C engines will enable a 100% increase in efficiency.

Grimaldi specialises in the maritime transport of cars, rolling cargo, containers and passengers and has a fleet of 120 RoRos, RoRo multipurpose, PCTCs, Ro/Pax and cruise ferries, in addition to a network of 21 terminals.