The European Union has approved Baleària’s project, after the company submitted it to the call of funds CEF (Connecting Europe Facility). This project aims to retrofit five ferries of Baleària so that they can run on LNG.
The European Commission granted to the Baleària € 11,797,424 for the retrofit of the ships, which will be carried out from the end of 2018 until 2021.
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The European Union highlighted that the project addresses ‘the objectives of Regulation 1315/2013 regarding efficiency, sustainability and cohesion, and contributes to the decarbonization of maritime transport’.
The Commission also considered that the project is ready to be implemented and indicated that the cost-benefit analysis is solid. Finally, it stated that the project has practically all the necessary approvals.
Moreover, the president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, in addition to these five vessels, mentioned the first of the two smartships powered by LNG that are being built in the Italian shipyards Visentini.
According to Baleària, the use of LNG in these vessels is expected to reduce more than 45,000 tons of CO2 annually, 4,400 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and eliminate sulfur and particulate emissions. The first retrofit of the ships will start in mid-November.
From 2020, shipping companies operating within the European Union and the waters of the exclusive economic zone will have to use fuels with low sulfur content.
