• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
The Grimaldi Group presented its state-of-the-art vessel, Grande Istanbul, during a ceremony held at Autoport, the car terminal located in the Kocaeli, Turkey port complex.
The vessel, named after the country's largest city and economic capital, is one of 17 ammonia-ready pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) commissioned by the company to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its global automotive logistics services.
The ship has a cargo capacity of up to 9,241 CEU and can reduce CO2 emissions per cargo unit by up to 50% compared to previous generation car carriers. The vessel was delivered in November 2025 by Chinese shipyards Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Co. (CSTC), both part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC). The PCTC measures 200 meters in length, 38 meters in beam, and has a gross tonnage of approximately 77,500 tons.
The Grande Istanbul currently operates on the EuroMed service connecting various ports in northern Europe and the Mediterranean, including Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa and İzmir in Turkey. The route transports cars, vans, trucks, other rolling cargo, and containers, providing manufacturers and logistics operators with flexible, reliable, and sustainable transport solutions.
Since the mid-1990s, the group has operated regular car transport routes connecting the Turkish city of Izmir with key ports in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
In total, the Grimaldi Group currently has a fleet of approximately 20 state-of-the-art ro-ro and PCTC vessels in Turkey, representing a total investment of about 1.2 billion euros (USD 1.371 billion). The fleet regularly serves the ports of Ambarli, Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa, Yalova, Yeniköy, and İzmir.
In 2025 alone, Grimaldi's vessels made 750 calls at Turkish port facilities, connecting the country—through direct and transshipment services—with a global network spanning more than 150 terminals in over 60 countries across five continents. During the same period, the company transported around 560,000 cars, vans, and other rolling cargo units to and from Turkey on its Euro-Med services, as well as almost 100,000 trucks, trailers, and containers on its short-sea shipping services. In this way, it supported not only the country's automotive industry but also its agricultural and industrial exports.
Looking ahead, in 2026 the group is achieving +50% growth compared to the previous year, driven by increased capacity and service expansion.
"The friendship between Italy and Turkey has deep roots. Today, thanks to the concrete commitment of the Grimaldi Group, this historical bond translates into an increasingly solid commercial alliance," said Guido Grimaldi, Corporate Commercial Director of Short Sea Shipping at the Grimaldi Group.
"We firmly believe in the Turkish market and in this country, which represents a unique logistics platform in the Mediterranean, at the crossroads of three continents. We have ambitious plans to continue developing our short-sea shipping and car transport services to and from the country, thereby supporting its trade relations with the rest of the world," Grimaldi added.
