Spanish ferry company Baleària has welcomed to its fleet Marie Curie, a new smart ship with LNG engines.
As informed, the newbuild — which is the fourth smart ship in the company’s fleet — will start operation between Valenzia, Ibiza and Palma from July 26.
The new eco-efficient ship, built at the Italian shipyard Cantiere Navale Visentini, is a sister vessel of the Hypatia de Alejandría . Marie Curie was floated out in Italy in November 2018.
At the beginning of the year, Hypatia de Alejandría became the first passenger ferry powered by natural gas that sailed in the Mediterranean. The vessel currently operates on the Barcelona-Alcúdia-Ciutadella route.
Baleària has invested around EUR 200 million (USD 222.7 million) in the construction of Marie Curie and Hypatia de Alejandría.
Marie Curie, which can reach a speed of 25 knots and features a length of 186.5 meters, has a capacity for 810 passengers, 2,180 linear meters of cargo and 150 vehicles.
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). Recently, the ferry company also embarked on a major project to convert six of its ships to LNG operation.
World Maritime News Staff