Grimaldi lines up 10 car carriers in China while warning US port fees could move its ships
Letters of intent cover 10,000 and 11,000 ceu designs as the Section 301 suspension nears its 9 November expiry
Grimaldi has signed letters of intent for another 10 car carriers at Chinese shipyards, including a series of 11,000 ceu ships that would be the largest in its fleet. It has also warned Washington that US port fees could push its vehicle carriers out of American trades.
The Naples-based group has agreed five 10,000 ceu pure car and truck carriers with China Merchants and five 11,000 ceu ships with CSSC's Guangzhou Shipyard International. Both designs will have extra capacity for containers and other rolling cargo. Grimaldi says the projects now move from preliminary design to engineering, which should take about six months, with deliveries targeted for 2030 and 2031. No firm contracts have been signed and no prices disclosed.
The ships would follow an orderbook of 17 ammonia-ready PCTCs placed in 2022 and 2023. The 9,800 ceu Grande Pacifico and Grande Egitto, the largest car carriers in the fleet today, entered service in August and September.
The programme forms part of fleet investment of more than €4bn. Grimaldi has also commissioned a tenth ropax for its Spanish subsidiary Trasmed at China Merchants Jinling in Weihai, worth €160m, and is in advanced talks with HD Hyundai, China Merchants and GSI on a new series of G6-class conro ships.
What did Grimaldi tell the USTR?
In a filing dated 30 October, the group backed the proposal to extend the suspension of Section 301 port fees to 9 January 2027 and asked for a permanent suspension of the fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers. The current suspension expires on 9 November, and the two-month extension has not been finalised.
"Many of our American customers have expressed concern at the thought of Grimaldi redeploying its ships out of US trades if the proposed further suspension of this Section 301 action is not implemented," the company said.
Grimaldi reported nearly 985,000 tons of US exports and 1.31 million tons of imports over the past three years. It said 74.7% of its US import volume belonged to American automakers, and 86% of its US cargo was American exports or imports tied to those manufacturers.
The fees took effect on 14 October 2025 and were suspended on 10 November as part of a trade agreement between Washington and Beijing, which are still negotiating over China's position in global shipbuilding. They cover Chinese-owned and operated ships, Chinese-built ships and certain foreign-built vehicle carriers.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 5 November 2026.
