The KNUD E. HANSEN design of the RoRos Eco Valencia and sisters has been selected as a Significant Ship of 2020 in the publication of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects 2020:
Eco Valencia, delivered in October 2020 by Jingling Shipyard, is the first of 12 hybrid ro-ro ships designed by Danish naval architect Knud E. Hansen for the Naples-based Grimaldi Group. The vessels are known as the GG5G class or, to give them their full title, the ‘Grimaldi Green 5th Generation’. Of the 12 ships, three will operate for the owner’s Finnlines subsidiary and the remainder in the Mediterranean.
At 238m in length, beam of 34m and with a gross tonnage of 67,311, Eco Valencia is claimed to be the largest short-sea ro-ro vessel in the world and can transport 7,800 linear metres of rolling freight, equivalent to around 500 trailers. Its capacity is twice that of the biggest ships currently operated by Grimaldi but it consumes the same amount of fuel, effectively halving the CO2 footprint of each truck or trailer.
Cargo is spread over five decks including the weather deck and two hoistable car decks. Vehicles are loaded through two stern ramps and a system of interior ramps.
As the name and class suggest, these vessels are designed to be environmentally friendly and have earnt the highest Green Plus notation from Italian classification society RINa for ships that go beyond the required environmental compliance. For the GG5G vessels, this includes an air lubrication system for the hull, a waste heat recovery system, premium anti-foulings and more.
The propulsion system comprises a pair of MAN B&W 9S50ME-C9.6 main engines and twin Rolls-Royce Promas Lite integrated rudder and propeller propulsion systems. Shaft generators and 600m² of solar panels are used for charging the ship’s lithiumion battery system, which is used in port to ensure emission-free operations. The main engines are intended to run on HFO with an Ecospray Technologies exhaust gas cleaning system, allowing compliance with 2020 sulphur regulations.