December 16, 2023. Baleària has launched the Margarita Salas fast ferry at the Armon Shipyard in Gijón, where it is being built. This is the shipping company’s second fast ferry equipped with dual gas engines, which combines the most competitive features of the Eleanor Roosevelt catamaran, a pioneer in innovation and sustainability, with a series of innovations in design and engineering to elevate the customer experience. Thus, the ship’s power has been increased by 10% and a second passenger deck has been added, which will allow greater space for passengers. Baleària has invested 126 million euros in the construction of the Margarita Salas, which will begin operating next summer.
The President of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, has highlighted that this second unit improves technologically and in comfort on the pioneer Eleanor Roosevelt. “We already had an excellent ship in terms of navigability, comfort and passenger satisfaction, and we cannot be more than proud to have taken another step with the Margarita Salas, which will surely obtain even better results.”
In terms of sustainability, Utor has pointed out that the new catamaran is the eleventh in a fleet of ships equipped with the company’s dual gas engines: “These ships, which currently sail using natural gas, will in the future be able to consume energy neutral renewables in CO2 emissions. The investment of more than 500 million euros in this fleet allows us to use the fuel available today, which reduces further emissions and positions us for decarbonization in the future.” Thus, the sister ship of the Margarita Salas, the fast ferry Eleanor Roosevelt, has stopped emitting more than 11,000 tons of CO2 this year thanks to using natural gas as fuel.
The new ship has the same dimensions (123 meters long and 28 meters wide) as the Eleanor Roosevelt, but with 10% more power thanks to the four dual 9,600 kW natural gas engines. Like its predecessor, it is equipped with two azimuthal propellers to improve maneuverability when docking, a stabilization system that reduces movement and improves comfort, as well as high-tech innovations to minimize vibrations and noise. In addition, it has the OPS (Onshore Power Supply) system for electrical connection to ground during its stays in port and measurement equipment to monitor real fuel consumption or calculate the efficiency of the engines, among other functionalities. The ship has two liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanks, which provide a range of approximately 470 miles when sailing on gas, and a total range of 1,000 miles.
On the other hand, the Margarita Salas maintains the same passenger and vehicle capacity (1,200 and 400 respectively) as its predecessor, but adds a second passenger deck with a lounge of seats, so that it will gain more spaciousness in the interior spaces.
