World's first fast ferry with natural gas engines...will cover the Dénia-Ibiza-Palma route from MAY 1 • 24/7 Valencia

Baleària will start operating on May 1st in the Balearic Islands with the most innovative and sustainable ‘fast ferry’ in the Mediterranean.

The ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’, the world’s first fast ferry with natural gas engines, will cover the Dénia-Ibiza-Palma route.

The ship will sail from the Asturian shipyard Armon, where it has been built, to Dénia, in a trip that the shipping company broadcasts on its social networks.

Baleària’s Eleanor Roosevelt, the world’s first fast ferry with natural gas engines, set sail today from the Armon shipyard in Gijón, where it was built, bound for Dénia, where it is scheduled to begin operating on 1 May, linking this peninsular port with Ibiza and Palma. Baleària has reached a new milestone in international maritime transport thanks to this vessel, whose main axes are innovation, sustainability, comfort and speed.

“We want to promote the Balearic Islands, a destination in which we have always been involved and to whose citizens we are firmly committed, positioning our most revolutionary, green and smart ship,” said Adolfo Utor, president of Baleària. He also pointed out that “the number of high-speed passenger seats on this route will increase by 60% and the capacity of the hold will double compared to the current one”, since the vessel has capacity for 1,200 passengers and 450 vehicles.

A sustainable catamaran

The Eleanor Roosevelt, which began construction at the end of 2018, is the seventh Baleària vessel to use this fuel that reduces polluting emissions and which last year already allowed the shipping company to stop emitting 37,000 tonnes of CO2. It is calculated that annually the Eleanor Roosevelt will reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to eliminating more than 8,900 conventional cars or planting almost 27,000 trees. Actual fuel consumption and engine efficiency will be monitored by measuring equipment and sensors installed on board, as part of a project co-financed by the European Commission’s CEF funds.

Comfort on board

Baleària is explaining through Instragram and Facebook the crossing from the port of Gijón to Dénia, where it plans to arrive on Thursday. In this way, followers of the social networks will be able to learn about the ship’s services, which has several cafeterias, as well as a food truck on the outside deck and a children’s area. Digitalisation is a differentiating element: the Eleanor Roosevelt offers a free digital entertainment platform, video surveillance of pets, Internet and WhatsApp coverage for text messages throughout the crossing. In addition, passengers will receive their boarding pass via WhatsApp, indicating their assigned seat. On the other hand, the new catamaran has high-tech innovations that considerably reduce movement, vibrations and noise, and the interior spaces are spacious and luminous to offer a comfortable crossing.

Investment

The shipping company has invested 90 million euros in this new fast ferry, with financing from CaixaBank. The financing operation, worth 66 million euros, has been carried out through a loan covered in its entirety by CaixaBank. In addition, the financing and construction of the vessel, which was carried out at the Armon shipyard, was structured through a Tax Lease transaction between CaixaBank and Arcano. In this way, CaixaBank reinforces the implementation of the principles of responsible investment and is committed to sustainable investment as a strategy for managing global risks

About Baleària

Baleària is the leading shipping company in passenger and cargo transport on connections with the Balearic Islands, and also links Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands with the mainland. Internationally, it offers services to Morocco, Algeria and the Caribbean (between the United States and the Bahamas).

The shipping company is a world pioneer in the use of natural gas: in 2019 it was the first to sail with this cleaner energy in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. Baleària’s gas fleet will reach 9 ships this year, between new constructions and re-motorisations, with an investment of 380 million euros. The company is committed to putting technology at the service of its customers in its smart ships and the use of big data to improve efficiency.

Baleària defines itself as a responsible corporate citizen, which has taken on the United Nations 2030 Agenda as the roadmap that guides its activity in the areas of economic, social and environmental sustainability.

In 2020, Baleària carried more than 2,150,000 passengers and 5,743,000 linear metres of cargo on the 29 ships in its fleet. The company, which employs more than 1,500 people, had a turnover of 342 million euros.

MORE INFO: https://www.balearia.com/en

Report by 24/7 Valencia team