July 20, 2024. Baleària adds the world’s second fast ferry with dual liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines, the Margarita Salas, to the Barcelona-Alcudia-Ciutadella route. More than 450 passengers will be the first to travel from Barcelona on this new vessel, a pioneer in innovation and sustainability, which also offers speed and comfort in the maritime connections between Mallorca and Menorca with the Catalan capital.
The incorporation of the catamaran, with capacity for 1,200 passengers and 425 vehicles, allows Baleària to increase the number of high-speed seats on the Barcelona-Alcudia-Ciutadella route by 50% and double the number of vehicles, while reducing its carbon footprint, since natural gas reduces CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions and completely eliminates sulfur and particulate emissions. The company has invested 126 million euros in this ship.
“More than 20 years ago we landed in Barcelona with the aim of connecting the city with Mallorca and Menorca at high speed. Now, with this innovative fast ferry we increase our competitiveness, since we can transport more passengers, with greater comfort and services, throughout the year and with a much lower air consumption thanks to our commitment to cleaner fuels,” said the President of Baleària, Adolfo Utor.
Utor recalled that the new catamaran is the shipping company’s eleventh equipped with dual gas engines, a versatile technology that allows sailing with different fuels, such as natural gas at present or renewable sources neutral in CO2 emissions in the future. “This innovative fleet allows us to use the fuel that is currently available and reduces more emissions, and at the same time places us in a leadership position in the goal of decarbonization in 2050,” Utor stressed.
The shipping company estimates that the Margarita Salas will stop emitting almost 13,000 tons of CO2 annually (22% less), compared to the fast ferry that was operating on the route until now. In addition, as the new ship will have a greater passenger capacity, the tons of carbon dioxide per passenger will be reduced by half.
