Spanish ferry operator Baleària announced that one of its two newest LNG-fueled ferries, ‘Hypatia of Alejandría‘, has recently received its first supply of LNG in the Port of Venice. When it starts operations in the beginning of 2019, the ship will be the first LNG-fueled ferry to operate in the Mediterranean.
The ship has already made first sea trials. Last month, the vessel was placed in a dry dock where the antifouling silicone was applied to the live work of the hull.
The ‘Hypatia de Alejandría’ will begin its operations at the beginning of 2019 and the ‘Marie Curie’ will follow a couple of months later. The construction of these two LNG smart ships reached approximately 200 million euros. Both of the LNG vessels share the same features such as, 186.5 meters in length, maximum speed of 24 knots, capacity for 810 people, 2,180 linear meters of cargo, 150 vehicles, as well as LED lighting.
In addition to the two vessels, the company recently announced the construction of the first fast ferry with LNG engines to sail in the world. Baleària will invest 90 million euros in this ferry, with construction scheduled to begin next December and the vessel to enter into service in the summer of 2020.
What is more, the company has been engaged in a project to convert six of its ferries to LNG with partial funding from EU CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) project. Last month, LNG retrofitting began for one out of the six vessels. The EU supports the move by funding the project with 12 million euros, on a total investment of 72 million.
Baleària has earlier revealed its goal to have at least half of its fleet of ferries sailing with this clean energy in the following three years and reach 100% of the fleet within a period of ten years.
