Baleària orders second LNG-fuelled fast ferry

Spanish ferry operator Baleària has placed an order for the second liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered  passenger and cargo fast ferry in Spain.

As informed, the company signed an agreement with compatriot shipbuilder Armon Gijon for the construction of the vessel. The shipbuilding firm delivered the first LNG-powered fast ferry Eleanor Roosevelt last April.

This new ship Margarita Salas will have the same characteristics as its sister vessel Eleanor Roosevelt. It will be 123 meters long, 28 meters wide and will have the capacity to transport 1,200 passengers and 400 vehicles. 

On a technical level, the shipping company will increase the power of Margarita Salas by 10% compared to its counterpart, with the installation of four dual 9,600 kW Wärtsilä natural gas engines, which will allow it to reach a service speed of 35 knots. Likewise, it will have a propulsion system made up of four waterjets and will have two azimuth propellers at the bow to improve maneuverability when docking in port.

Furthermore, the company plans to install measurement equipment that will allow real fuel consumption to be monitored or engine efficiency to be calculated, among other functions.  

This ship will be Baleària’s tenth with dual fuel engines, a technology that can also use 100% biomethane, as well as green hydrogen mixtures of up to 25%, to achieve CO2 emissions reduction.

“The construction of this second unit responds to the exceptional results of Eleanor Roosevelt and the commitment to this innovative and eco-efficient prototype,” the president of Baleària Adolfo Utor commented.

Baleària expects the new ship to start operations in 2024.

To remind, the company signed a sustainable financing agreement, the first in the Spanish shipping sector, with a green loan of EUR 80 million (about $88.4 million) in March 2022. Under the slogan Rumbo Verde, Baleària shares its commitment to the environment and its participation in projects related to the use of renewable energies, such as green hydrogen or biomethane, seeking to achieve carbon-neutral shipping by 2050.