Gas Natural Fenosa and Balearia signed the first permanent LNG bunkering contract for ship propulsion in Spain. The supply contract will be exclusive for 10 years and will initially apply to the ports of Barcelona, Valencia and Algeciras.
After those ports, the agreement will extended to all the peninsular ports operated by the shipping company together with the entire new fleet powered by this fuel committed to using LNG as an ecological fuel.
To start the supply to Barcelona, according to the contract, a ship will be assigned to conduct LNG bunkering in the Port of Barcelona. In the case of Valencia and Algeciras, both companies are already working on a land-based solution.
The first ship is scheduled to start operations at the beginning of 2018, Adolfo Utor, the president of Baleària, informed.
“Last year both companies successfully completed a pioneering project in Spain: for the last few months the Abel Matutes is the first ferry to operate with an auxiliary engine supplied by GAS NATURAL FENOSA. Liquefied natural gas bunkering for this ferry was the first operation of its kind to be carried out at the Port of Barcelona. This project reduces emissions and improves air quality,” Gas Natural Fenosa said in a statement.
