Wärtsilä has signed a ten-year Lifecycle Agreement with Spanish ferry operator Baleària, covering Baleària’s new high-speed aluminium structure catamaran ro-pax ferry, the ‘Margarita Salas’, which recently entered service.
The ship was built at the Astilleros Armon Gijon yard in Spain. It operates with four Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines, four Wärtsilä WXJ hydraulic waterjets, and features two Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage and supply systems. A sister-ship, the Eleanor Roosevelt, was delivered earlier with the same Wärtsilä scope.
The ship combines high-speed waterjets with medium-speed gas-fuelled engines, and is proving to be successful, representing a new ro-pax ferry reference case. The Wärtsilä agreement will ensure that the key design values of high efficiency, customer comfort, reduced operating costs, and environmental sustainability are secured and maintained.
Juan Pablo Molina, Corporate Technical Director, Baleària, said: “We feel confident with Wärtsilä solutions which will help us to deliver the high performance and comfort level we offer to our clients, while lowering the emissions of our operations. The reliability of our service is naturally of key importance to our customers, and this agreement with Wärtsilä provides us the highest expertise from the manufacturer to optimally maintain the vessel at all times.”
The agreement is designed to meet the specific operating needs and requirements of the vessel. It includes maintenance planning, spare parts and maintenance services for scheduled maintenance, operational support, and Wärtsilä’s unique Expert Insight digital predictive maintenance service.
Miguel Sanchez, Director Sales South Europe & Africa, Wärtsilä Marine said: “Following the successful delivery of our equipment to the ferry newbuild, we are proud to be supporting Baleària with keeping the vessel reliable operations as efficiently as possible during its lifecycle. We have been working with the ferry industry for many years now and have seen an increased number of ferries serviced under long-term agreements, totalling 37 today. This agreement is the fifth we are honoured by Baleària and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership on this decarbonisation journey.”
The Margarita Salas operates between Barcelona, the Mallorcan port of Alcudia and Ciudadela on the island of Menorca.
Image: High speed LNG-fuelled ferry ‘Margarita Salas’ (credit: Baleària)
