Gas Natural Fenosa and Baleària announced completion of the first LNG bunkering at the Port of València, Turia quay, on Saturday afternoon for Baleària’s ferry, ‘Abel Matutes’, boosting the port’s efforts to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
In January 2018, the two companies announced development of an LNG bunkering pioneering project for the ports of Barcelona, Valencia and Algeciras, while in March, they officially launched Spain’s first natural gas engine in the Abel Matutes.
This move is a significant milestone for the region, as the ship will operate with the auxiliary generator to LNG, which will minimize environmental footprint both in the port area of València and in Mallorca, cities that will be connected with this ferry during the summer.
The application of this technology in the ship is expected to significantly reduce emissions and bring an annual saving of 4,000 tons of CO2, more than 60 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 6 tons of sulfur oxide (SOx).
The Baleària project consists of the installation of an auxiliary gas generator (which is the one activated in the ports and allows the cancellation of gases derived from petroleum) and a 30m3 tank (with a one-week autonomy) on deck 8 of the vessel. The engine is fully integrated into the ship’s power plant and can work with any of the own auxiliaries and without visual impact.
The ferry has a length of 190 meters, a capacity of 900 people and 2,235 linear meters of ro-ro cargo.