##Baleària broadcasts a report on the first trip of the Eleanor Roosevelt fast ferry, “a ship that will make history”.

The new fast ferry is a further step in the sustainability of transport to and between the islands, which are preparing for the reopening of tourist activity.

The journalist Esther Collado talks with the president of the shipping company, Adolfo Utor, and the captain Francisco Jiménez, about the revolution that this innovative vessel represents, 20 years after incorporating the high speed to the Balearic Islands.

During the first trip of Baleària’s Eleanor Roosevelt fast ferry, which covers the Dénia-Ibiza-Palma route daily, journalist Esther Collado learns about all the ship’s services first hand. “A ship that is going to make history”, in the words of the shipping company’s president, Adolfo Utor, who appears in the report talking with one of the company’s historic captains, Francisco Jiménez Vara. Both recall how Baleària revolutionized maritime transport to the Balearic Islands 20 years ago with the introduction of high speed, to which it now adds the component of sustainability. Baleària thus responds to a growing demand from its resident, national and international customers to travel while minimizing the ecological footprint.

“In 2001 the Federico García Lorca was groundbreaking in terms of speed, it was a very important leap,” recalls Utor. “We had the bar set very high, and we have surpassed it,” says Captain Jiménez Vara. The shipping company’s president considers that the Eleanor Roosevelt represents “a new revolution in terms of digitalization and emissions control” and recalls that thanks to being the first fast ferry in the world to sail with natural gas engines, Baleària has managed to “transport more people with a much lower consumption”. The new fast ferry is a further step in the sustainability of transport to and between the islands that are preparing for the reopening of tourist activity. However, the shipping company’s president points out that this ship “is not the end” but opens the door to the next step: “LNG, of which we are pioneers with nine ships, is a transition fuel; the goal is the year 2050 with total decarbonization, where fuels such as hydrogen, on which we are already starting to work, will have to enter”, he concludes.

Onboard services and innovations

During the first trip of the fast ferry, which covers the daily route Denia-Ibiza-Palma, Collado knows all the services of the ship through various interviews. Thus, Baleària’s Innovation Director, Arturo Escartí, explains the new features of this smart ship, “which improve the customer experience from start to finish”, such as the Serena virtual assistant “who accompanies the passenger from the moment he makes the reservation, resolves any doubts, and presents the SmartB platform”, which gives access to free multimedia content, connect to the Internet, see your pet thanks to the webcams installed in the cages or order from the ship’s cafeteria. In addition, the head of the cabin, Sonia Vázquez, shows the journalist “the spacious and bright spaces and reclining seats” and emphasizes the speed of the ship, which allows you to make the trips in just two hours. Finally, Elena Munar, in charge of the Ibiza ticket office, points out “the essential nature of Baleària’s services for the transport of passengers and goods” to the Balearic Islands.

Report by ’24/7 Valencia’ team

Link to video report (in Spanish) by journalist Esther Collado: https://youtu.be/VqDA-OWxHDo