Grimaldi Group has decided to enhance the Trieste-Ambarli Ro-Ro route with an intermediate call at Greece’s Patras port.
Grimaldi aims to establish a direct connection between Greece and Turkey and also improve the connections between these countries and Italy.
The updated Trieste-Patras-Ambarli service will become commence full operations on 23 October and will be operated by the sister vessels Eco Mediterranea and Eco Malta. These hybrid Ro-Ro ships, each with a transport capacity of over 500 trailers, are the most eco-friendly in the world, as they can halve CO2 emissions per cargo unit compared to the previous generation of Ro-Ro ships, and even cut them to zero during port stays.
With two weekly departures from each of the three ports, the Trieste-Patras-Ambarli service complements Grimaldi Lines’ network of routes. In combination with the thrice-weekly Venice-Bari-Patras service (also operated by two Eco-class vessels) and through transshipment at the Greek port, the route will extend its reach to southern Italy, enabling the easy movement of rolling cargo to and from Turkey via the port of Bari. Additionally, Venice will serve as another gateway for rolling freight transported between northern Italy and Turkey via the same transshipment mode.
“The new Trieste-Patras-Ambarli route is yet another demonstration of the great potential of the Motorways of the Sea network offered by our Group. With the addition of one port of call, the scope of the service expands exponentially, leveraging the reach, frequency, and efficiency of our connections as a whole,” said the Neapolitan group’s Managing Director Emanuele Grimaldi.