The Italian Grimaldi Group has placed an order with the Chinese shipyard China Merchants Jinling Shipyard for the construction of nine RO-PAX ships. Six vessels will operate in the Mediterranean under the Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines brands, while three will be managed by the Finnish brand Finnlines in the Baltic Sea.The transaction, worth $1.3 billion, was signed in Hong Kong. The nine ships will be delivered between 2028 and 2030 and will all be equipped with engines that can run on methanol, allowing them to meet the aim of zero emissions. Grimaldi Lines' four new ships will sail under the Italian flag, while Minoan Lines' two ships will operate under the Greek flag. The remaining three will sail the Baltic Sea routes under the Finnish flag. The new ro-pax will be equipped with green technological innovations, including the optimization of hull and propellers, on-board energy management systems with low energy consumption in both port and at sea, systems to connect ships to shore electricity supply systems, and the application of silicon-based hull coatings that will reduce CO2 emissions by over 50% compared to ships that currently operate on the same routes.