The Grande Anversa Delivered to Grimaldi Group Naples

Ceremony of delivery, this morning, at the Uljanik Shipyards of Pola, of the vessel‘’Grande Anversa’’, built for Grimaldi Group Naples. Godmother of the vessel: Mrs Camille Delwaide, wife of the President of the Antwerp Port Authority, Baron Leo Delwaide. The choice to name the vessel after the city of Antwerp is an act of gratitude towards a city and a port representing Grimaldi Group Naples a hub for its traffic flows between North Europe, North and South America, West Africa and the Mediterranean. In the near future the Group will expand its existing dedicated port terminal in Antwerp to one million m2, equal to the entire surface of the port of Naples, and with a quay length of over 1,500 metres. The ‘’Grande Anversa’’ is the eighth vessel, of a maxi-order of 11 vessels, built by the croatian shipyards of Uljanik for Grimaldi Group Naples. In the last three years, the Uljanik Shipyards have delivered to the Group the ‘’Grand Benelux’’ and ‘’Grande Italia’’ (in 2001), the ‘’Grande Spagna’’ and ‘’Grande Portogallo’’(in 2002); the ‘’Grande Roma’’ and ‘’Grande Napoli’’ in 2003 and the ‘’Grande Lagos’’ last may. The ‘’Grande Anversa’’, with a length of 176 metres, a beam of 31,10 metres and a GT of 38.000 tonnes, is a pure car-truck carrier able to transport 4.600 cars and over 100 containers loaded onto mafis or, in alternative, 256 trucks and 2.000 cars. It has a maximum speed of 20 knots and a 26-man crew. The specificity of these vessels built for Grimaldi Group Naples is their loading flexibility which allows to carry and transport rolling cargo of any length and weight. Equipped with 11 decks, 3 of which hoistable up to 5 metres height, the “Grande Anversa” can load trucks, tractors, twin-deck tourist busses, train wagons and excavators. The high load intake is also due to the capacity of the ramps which allow to carry rolling units with a weight of up to 100 tonnes each. The loading capacity, the high degree of resistance of the decks and of the loading ramps and the possibility to adapt the height of three decks according to the dimensions of the cargo are an ideal mix to transport any combination of cargo, thus simplifying the logistics of big multinational project companies operating in the construction of important infrastructural works. The deployment of the “Grande Anversa” will offer the Group’s clientele another significant upgrade of the frequency of the “EURO SHUTTLE” service. In fact, after its delivery, the vessel will sail bound to Salerno to be employed on that line operated by Grimaldi Group Naples together with other existing tonnage, serving on a weekly basis eight ports in North Europe and the Western Mediterranean. After the ‘’Grande Anversa’’ the Uljanik Shipyards will build for Grimaldi Group Naples another three vessels (to be delivered in 2005-2007), with an option for another unit to be defined in the near future. The total order of the Group to the Uljanik Shipyards would then be of 12 vessels.