Italian shipping company Grimaldi Group has named its first ammonia-ready pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Grande Shanghai.

The naming ceremony took place on Monday at Haimen, China, the firm said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday

The vessel has a capacity of 9,000 car equivalent units.

The ship has been built with an ammonia-ready notation, meaning it includes design features, such as space allocated for future ammonia fuel tanks, that would allow it to be converted to run on ammonia.

However, while several vessels have been ordered with similar notations, actual conversions to ammonia propulsion remain rare across the industry.

“As the Group’s first Ammonia Ready unit, it marks a pivotal leap forward in our journey toward energy transition and carbon-free maritime transport,” Grimaldi said.

“Compared to earlier generation car carriers, the Grande Shanghai slashes fuel consumption per transported unit by 50%, combining performance with sustainability.”

The company has several of these ships on order with China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu.