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 Melbourne, will be deployed on the Asia-Europe route, Grimaldi said in a statement on its website last week.

This ship is the third of seven vessels ordered by the firm from the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company and China Shipbuilding Trading Company, both subsidiaries of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).

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.