The steel cutting ceremony has taken place for the fifth LNG-fuelled RoPax newbuilding ordered by MSC for its ferry subsidiary GNV, at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China.
The vessel, which has not yet been named, is the first unit of a second batch of four ships ordered in 2025 by the Aponte-controlled group. Delivery is scheduled for the first months of 2028.
The four dual-fuel LNG vessels will be sister ships to GNV VIRGO and GNV AURORA.
Main particulars:
- Length: 218 metres
- Beam: nearly 30 metres
- Gross tonnage: 52,300
- Maximum speed: 25 knots
- More than 420 cabins
- Capacity for up to 1,785 passengers
- 2,780 lane metres of RoRo cargo
Each newbuilding is expected to cost more than €150m. The vessels will be financed by MSC and transferred to GNV under bareboat charter agreements.
GNV, led by Matteo Catani, has already taken delivery of three new ferries from GSI: GNV POLARIS, GNV ORION and GNV VIRGO, with GNV AURORA due to follow in the coming days.
