Baleària launched the first zero-emission electric ferry in Spain this week for passengers and cargo on stays and approaches to the port. According to the statement made by the shipping company, the ‘Cap de Barbaria’ ferry touched the water for the first time in Astilleros Armon Vigo, where it was built. With a length of 82 meters and a width of 15.5, it will be able to sail up to 14 knots and It will be used to connect Ibiza and Formentera (in just one hour) in early summer 2023. 240 linear meters of cargo capacity and up to 390 passengersstands out with its unique bow and stern working design (bidirectional) aims to facilitate loading and unloading operations.
“Launching a ship is always a very exciting moment and in this case even more special. This will mean a new travel concept between Ibiza and Formentera, a more sustainable and eco-efficient electric ferry that will also be the basis for the supply of goods to Formentera, said Baleària president Adolfo Utor. He also emphasized This electric boat (and poised to incorporate the use of hydrogen on an experimental basis) “will be the most sustainable of the fleet.”
Laudelino Alperi, co-chairman of Astilleros Armon, expressed his pride in continuing to contribute to the growth of Baleària: “We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are on the right track by collaborating productively with everyone involved in the project.”
The ship’s godmother, Formentera athlete Andrea Romero Escandell, threw a classic bottle of cava into the boat after baptism. One of the biggest promises of national athletics, the athlete said, “This boat will mean more sustainable transportation for the island. It will undoubtedly mark a before and after. I am proud to be a part of this new project.
The ferry is scheduled to start connecting Ibiza and Formentera in an hour in early summer 2023. emission-free navigation in ports thanks to electric propulsion. The ship will have an energy storage system with state-of-the-art lithium batteries that will allow it to have 12 hours of autonomy in port, as well as a shore connection. cold iron.
The ship’s electrical plant will have an intelligent management system to optimize its use and increase its efficiency at all times. The ship shall not emit polluting gases into the atmosphere at all stages of approach, manoeuvring, anchorage and stay in port. and therefore would represent a significant improvement in air quality compared to ships currently operating on the route. The 82 meters long and 15.5 meters wide ship will be able to cruise up to 14 knots.
The company’s lowest emission vessel
Cap de Barbaria will guarantee the supply of essential products to Formentera as it will replace the shipping company’s existing private cargo ferry. Baleària has taken into account its all-weather operability. The ship hold with a cargo capacity of 240 linear meters can accommodate up to 14 trucks. The bow and stern operating arrangement will facilitate embarkation and landing operations, while the 360-degree azimuth electric propulsion will facilitate maneuvers in the port; both items will compensate for their recorded speed. Thanks to this technology and its optimized design by Cotenaval, Cap de Barbaria By maintaining the cargo capacity required by the route, it will be the ship with the lowest consumption and emissions in the company’s fleet.
The equipment and exterior architectural design of Cap de Barbaria was done by the nautical design and equipment company Oliver Design. As it is a short route and the weather is nice, the outdoors was given priority to highlight the pleasure of traveling between the two islands. So a 390 passenger capacity, there will be an area on the upper deck calm down with a large bar in the center equipped with designer sofas and hammocks and sheltered from the sun by tents. There will also be more protected open space on the main passenger deck.
The shipping company’s aim is to conduct a pilot experiment in the use of green hydrogen, a decarbonized energy that it is currently working on on several projects. Cap de Barbaria will start service as H2 Ready, that is, it is ready to install a hydrogen system with 200 kW cells, a storage capacity that will allow it to be used 24 hours a day, and that will provide 30% of the energy needed by the ship. . Baleària plans to use Cap de Barbaria as a test lab for the small-scale use of green hydrogen.
The first of a dozen?
The good fit between Armón Vigo and Baleària was all too evident at launch and even blink Before the announcement of the new dozen ships that Spain’s largest shipping company plans to build at national shipyards. “We were surprised that he said he would build 12 boats today and didn’t say where he was,” Alperi said at the greeting tour about Utor, whose project is part of a plan of the company. He set out to renew his existing fleet (29 ships) over a period of five or six years.
After revealing his connections and other collaborative work, Armón’s CEO hinted that he had his eye on this project, among many others. “The past is already a part of our life, we must design the future from this moment,” he assured, emphasizing that the city of Olívica is now positioned as a city. “The most important center of Spanish shipbuilding” and referring to Barreras: “The professional challenge is to rally and strengthen its activities to exceed these 150 years”.
“We have the great fortune to devote ourselves to an ancient activity: shipping is as old as humanity,” said the Baleària president. Hat of Barbarism As the “smallest of the fleet”. Its structure represents the “milestone” for your company.. A “step forward”, he assured, whose aim was to achieve a “noble goal”.