On the occasion of the inaugural stopover of the Grande Baltimora in the port of Sagunto, Aurelio Martínez delivered this morning a commemorative plaque to the captain of the vessel.
The incorporation of the Grande Baltimora to the line connecting Sagunto and the United States East Coast will double the capacity of the line.
Valencia, October the 10th 2017. – The port of Sagunto today has received the first stopover of Grande Baltimora vessel, the largest car-carrier that has so far berthed in the Port of Sagunto. On the occasion of that milestone, the Port Authority of Valencia has delivered a commemorative plaque to the captain of the vessel. The event was attended by Aurelio Martínez, president of the Port Authority of Valencia; Francesc Fernández, mayor of Sagunto; and Mario Massarotti, CEO of the Grimaldi group in Spain.
The Grande Baltimora, the newest vessel of the Grimaldi Company opened last June, joins the line that covers the Mediterranean and the East Coast of the United States. The vessel – which has a capacity to carry more than 6,500 passenger cars – has 199.90 meters in length, a gross tonnage of 63,000 tonnes and reaches a speed of 19 knots. With this new ship, the company doubles the current capacity of the route. Alongside this vessel, Grimaldi plans to incorporate two similar vessels to this same line, which will substantially increase the capacity of this ro-ro traffic line (the roll-on, roll-off or, which is loaded and unloaded, such as vehicles and trucks, with their own wheels, without cranes).
During the plaque´s delivery act, Mario Massarotti, CEO of the Grimaldi Group in Spain has stressed the commitment of the Italian shipping company for the environment. “The vessel we presented today in Sagunto is of the latest generation and represents our commitment to sustainability and the environment.” Likewise, Massarotti has also highlighted the company’s commitment to the ports of Valencia and Sagunto.
Aurelio Martínez, president of the PAV, thanked “the important commitment that the Grimaldi Group has made for Valenciaport, both in the port of Sagunto and Valencia.” Likewise, Aurelio Martínez recalled that “Sagunto is one of the best valued ports in Spain for vehicle traffic as show in the last report prepared by Anfac, the employers of the sector, which considers Sagunto as a fantastic platform for this type of traffic and that only penalizes rail connections, an issue in which we are working hard to reverse it.”
Finally, Francesc Fernández, mayor of Sagunto has shown satisfaction by the trust placed by the Grimaldi Group in the port of Sagunto and recalled that “the port is the base of the deep logistical vocation that we have in Sagunto.”
The Great Baltimora covers the route Antwerp, Sagunto, Savona, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Gioia Tauro, Halifax, New York, Baltimore, Veracruz, and Antwerp.