Spanish shipping company Baleària has unveiled plans for two all-electric catamaran ferries destined for the Tarifa-Tangier Ville route, the first green corridor between Spain and Morocco.
The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras has prioritised sustainability and innovation in a public-private project including the construction of the two sister ships at Armon Shipyards, as well as the electrification of ports and the installation of battery charging systems.
Baleària president Adolfo Utor said: “This is a pioneering and technologically advanced public-private project that will allow us to make the entire journey for the first time using only electricity and, therefore, with zero emissions. The Port Authority laid the foundations for this project that is aligned with our values of innovation and sustainability. We take on the challenge of turning the Tarifa-Tangier Ville line into an example of mobility, modernity and international sustainability.”
The catamarans will be built at Armon Shipyards in Gijón over the next two and a half years. Each boat will have electrical power of 16MW, with four battery-powered electric thrusters, enabling the 18 mile crossing to be completed under solely electric propulsion.
Udor added: “They will be fully decarbonised trips, which will meet, from 2027, the 2050 objectives.”
Electric propulsion, in addition to avoiding emissions, completely eliminates noise and vibrations. Each ship will have four diesel generators, with a total capacity of 11,200 kW, for possible contingencies.
The batteries of the fast ferries will be fully recharged during the one-hour stopover in each of the ports. To this end, batteries of 8MWh gross each will be installed in both ports, which will be added to the electricity supply on land (5MW in Tarifa and 8MW in Tangier).
The design of the new Baleària ships will be similar to its two LNG-fuelled fast ferries Eleanor Roosevelt and Margarita Salas (also built in Armon), but optimised for the ports of Tarifa and Tangier Ville. Thus, they will have capacity for 804 passengers and 225 cars, and a maximum speed of 26 knots. They will feature high manoeuvrability thanks to two bow thrusters and four rudders. In addition, they will have two high-capacity stern ramps to optimise operations and manoeuvres in the ports.
Baleària’s fleet strategy is based on eco-efficient and intelligent ships and the company is working towards a goal of zero emissions by 2050. It’s fleet includes 11 ships that fuelled by LNG, and since 2023 has operated two electrically powered vessels in its fleet, the Cap de Barbaria and the Rusadir.
Image: Baleària’s new electric ferries will be to a similar design as two of the LNG-fuelled vessels (source: Baleària)
