Italian shipping firm Grimaldi Group has taken delivery of another car carrier suitable for conversion to ammonia propulsion.

The 9,241 CEU pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Grande Manila, will begin its inaugural voyage this week on the Asia-Europe service, the company said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

The vessel is the seventh ammonia-ready PCTC built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co in China and is classed ammonia-ready by RINA.

The notation ‘ammonia-ready’ indicates that the ship has been designed with the necessary space and features to allow for future installations of ammonia fuel tanks.

While ammonia-ready notations are becoming more common, actual conversions to ammonia propulsion remain rare within the industry.

Grimaldi Group recently secured EUR 162.3 million green financing to support the acquisition of three ammonia-ready ships.