The shipping company Baleària adds a new milestone with the construction of the first catamaran fast ferry of the world for passengers and cargo. A pioneer in the application of liquefied natural gas in maritime transport, this vessel will be powered by four dual WNrts / LNG / GO engines of 8800 kW each, which will allow it to reach a speed of service of 35 knots and a maximum speed greater than 40 knots.
With the investment of 90 million euros, this catamaran, which is being built in the Armon de Gijón shipyard, will have a length of 125 meters, a beam of 28 meters and capacity for 1.200 passengers and 500 passenger cars (or alternatively 500 linear meters of trucks and 250 passenger cars, as announced yesterday by the president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, at the inaugural conference of the 57º Congress of Naval Engineering and Maritime Industry, which is being held these days in Valencia, "becoming the high speed catamaran of greater length and capacity existing today"explained Utor.
Betting on new technologies and environmental care
The new ship of Baleària, scheduled to enter service in summer of 2020, is part of the concept smart maritime that the shipping company is developing, consisting of the application of new technologies, big data and artificial intelligence, through the digitalization of ships and maritime stations at the service of energy efficiency and passenger services.
In addition, the ship's design meets the most stringent environmental and energy efficiency standards. "Baleària's strategic commitment to LNG (natural gas, one of the most environmentally friendly fossil fuels) responds to criteria of social responsibility and economic profitability. The axiom less pollution, greater economic profitability works fully with this fuel", said the president of Baleària.
Baleària is also finalizing the construction of the first two smart ships with LNG engines that will sail in the Mediterranean. Baleària plans to have, in the next three years, at least half of its fleet of ferries sailing with this clean energy, and reach one hundred percent of the fleet within a period of ten years.
The European Union has recently described as excellent this project, which will be carried out over the next two years, and has awarded Baleària a grant of about 12 million euros, on a total investment of 72 million euros.
