Grimaldi deploys Grande Istanbul as Türkiye ro-ro volumes rise 50%

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Grimaldi Group has presented the 9,241 CEU car carrier Grande Istanbul in Türkiye, placing one of its latest ammonia ready PCTCs into the spotlight as vehicle and rolling cargo demand on its Turkish services continues to grow.

The vessel was presented at Autoport in Kocaeli on July 3, during a ceremony attended by government, logistics and maritime representatives from Türkiye and Italy. The event marked more than a vessel call. It underlined Türkiye’s role as a core market in Grimaldi’s EuroMed network, where automotive exports, ro-ro freight and short sea services are increasingly tied to industrial supply chains.

The Grande Istanbul is one of 17 latest generation Pure Car and Truck Carriers commissioned by Grimaldi. The vessel has capacity for up to 9,241 car equivalent units and can carry electric and conventional vehicles, vans, trucks and other rolling cargo.

Grimaldi says the ship can cut CO₂ emissions per cargo unit by up to 50% compared with previous generation car carriers. The vessel is ammonia ready, meaning it has been designed for possible future conversion once fuel availability, regulation and bunkering infrastructure are further developed.

The vessel is deployed on Grimaldi’s EuroMed service, which links Northern Europe and the Mediterranean with Turkish ports including Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa and İzmir.

Grimaldi currently deploys around 20 ro-ro vessels and PCTCs in Türkiye, serving a network of more than 150 ports in over 60 countries. In 2025, the group’s vessels made 750 calls at Turkish ports, carrying around 560,000 cars and rolling cargo units on EuroMed services, plus nearly 100,000 trucks, trailers and containers on short sea services.

The company says its Turkish business is recording 50% growth in 2026, supported by added capacity and service expansion.

For carmakers and logistics operators, the significance is straightforward. More vessel capacity gives exporters and importers more room to manage production cycles, regional distribution and equipment flows.

That matters in Türkiye, where automotive production and ro-ro links are closely connected. A PCTC such as Grande Istanbul works like a floating multi storey terminal: cars, trucks, trailers and heavy rolling cargo can move together, reducing the need to split cargo across less suitable transport options.

Guests at the Kocaeli event included Edoardo Rixi, Italian Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport; Ertuğ Şevket Aksoy, Deputy Governor of Kocaeli; Aras Serafettin, President of UND; and Bernard Arkas, Vice President of Arkas Holding.

They were welcomed onboard by Guido Grimaldi, Corporate Short Sea Shipping Commercial Director of Grimaldi Group, who pointed to Türkiye’s strategic role in the group’s logistics network.