Spanish ferry operator Baleària has unveiled details of its first electric passenger and cargo ferry free of polluting emissions in port and when entering and leaving harbours.
The new vessel, being built as Astilleros Armón in Vigo is destined for the Ibiza-Formentera route that. In addition to promoting a more eco-efficient and sustainable voyage, the ferry will include a test laboratory for the use of green hydrogen.
The hybrid vessel will use battery power to achieve zero emissions at the entrances, exits and stays in the Ibiza and Formentera docks. The batteries will be recharged during the one-hour voyage. It will improve air quality in the ports and surroundings, and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to the rest of the ships that operate this route.
Baleària president Adolfo Utor said: “This ship represents an important leap and for us it has an emotional component, since despite being small and simple, it aspires to be the most sustainable of the fleet, as it is electric and incorporates hydrogen technology on an experimental basis.”
As well as passengers, the cargo decks will accommodate up to 14 trucks. The ship will be double ended, that is to say, it will operate both from the bow and from the stern, which will speed up loading and unloading operations and manoeuvres in port. It is scheduled to start operating in the summer of 2023. The ship will be 83m long and 15m wide, and will have a service speed of 12.5 knots.
In addition, the ship will be a test laboratory for the use of green hydrogen. A 100kW compressed hydrogen fuel cell, the largest capacity currently available, will be installed carry out a pilot trial of the use of this more eco-efficient energy, which could eventually be used for all onboard electricity consumption.
Utor said: “Our goal is to use this ship as a small-scale test laboratory to learn about this fuel and apply this knowledge in the long term, when a more mature and stable storage system than the current compressed hydrogen is expected to be available.”
The company is a participant in the European Green Hysland project, with the objective of making Mallorca the first green hydrogen hub in southwestern Europe.
