Eleanor Roosevelt, described as the world’s first fast ferry for passengers and cargo, has begun to take shape at the Armon de Gijón shipyard, Spanish ferry company Baleària said.
Recently, the shipyard laid the keel for the new high-speed catamaran of the Incat Crowther 125 design.
The construction of the ship is expected to be completed in spring 2020, according to Baleària.
The project is being carried out by the ferry company, in cooperation with Armón, Incat Crowther, Wärstilä, and others.
@Balearia y Armón avanzan en la construcción del primer ‘fast ferry’ del mundo propulsado por gas natural #FastferryEleanorRoosevelt https://t.co/i6CtK9mgjE pic.twitter.com/44ywnybpDz
— Baleària (@Balearia) June 29, 2019
Once completed, the newbuild will feature a length of 123 meters and a beam of 28 meters. It will have capacity of 1,200 passengers and 450 cars.
The new ferry will be powered by four Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines of 8,800kW each, which will allow the ship to reach a service speed of 35 knots and a maximum speed of more than 40 knots.
Baleària has been working on LNG-related projects since 2012 and is a founding member of the Iberian Association of Natural Gas for Mobility (GASNAM).
The shipping company has invested EUR 200 million in the construction of the two eco-efficient smart vessels which will become the first gas-propelled RoRo passenger ferries operating in the Mediterranean Sea, and among the largest ferries in Europe. The first ship, Hypatia de Alejandría , made its first commercial voyage between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca earlier this year. The second newbuild, Marie Curie, was floated out in November 2018 and will join the company’s fleet in the coming weeks, according to Baleària.
What is more, the company has launched a project to convert six of its vessels to LNG operation. The total investment in this retrofit is EUR 72 million, with 20% funded by European Union Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) . Baleària has completed the retrofit of its Nápoles ferry which will soon be followed by the second vessel, Abel Matutes.
World Maritime News Staff