October 31, 2022. Baleària has started the construction of a second fast passenger and cargo ferry with dual liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines at the Armon shipyard in Gijón as a result of the shipping company and its customers’ satisfaction with the navigation and the comfort offered from 2021 by its twin the Eleanor Roosevelt. The shipping company will baptize the ship with the name of the pioneering biochemist Margarita Salas and expects it to start operating in 2024.
The President of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, explained that the ship “will combine the most competitive features of the Eleanor Roosevelt with a series of novelties in its design and engineering to elevate the customer experience”. Likewise, he has pointed out that “the construction of this second unit responds to the exceptional results of the Eleanor Roosevelt and the commitment to this innovative and eco-efficient prototype”.
This new ship will have the same characteristics as its twin Eleanor Roosevelt: 123 meters long, 28 meters wide and a capacity to transport 1,200 passengers and 400 vehicles. As a novelty, the Margarita Salas will have a second deck with a seating area in the bow and will double the surface area of the aft terrace with a bar service outside.
On a technical level, the shipping company will increase the power of the Margarita Salas by 10% compared to its counterpart, with the installation of four dual 9,600 kW Wärtsilä natural gas engines, which will allow it to reach a service speed of 35 knots. Likewise, she will have a propulsion system made up of four waterjets and will have two azimuth propellers at the bow to improve maneuverability when docking in port.
This ship will be Baleària’s tenth with dual natural gas engines, a versatile technology that can also consume 100% biomethane, as well as green hydrogen mixtures of up to 25%, renewable gases that are neutral in CO2 emissions and are considered the energies of the future.
