Emanuele Grimaldi has grabbed the second-largest stake in Hoegh Autoliners, fuelling speculation a second Italian could be launching a raid on the Norwegian car carrier sector.

The move follows billionaire Gianluigi Aponte’s NOK 7.6bn ($700m) bid to take over Gram Car Carriers, taking the company off the Oslo Stock Exchange and into the MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company fold.

Oslo-listed Hoegh Autoliners disclosed on Tuesday that Grimaldi, the managing director at family-owned Grimaldi Group, had purchased 9.78m