Spanish ferry operator Baleària has been awarded the contract to operate the intercontinental shipping line between Tarifa and Tangier Ville, following the evaluation of three offers. The company won the competition with an investment of €135 million in the construction of two zero-emission electric fast ferries with a capacity for 800 passengers, the electrification of the ports and the battery recharging system.
As disclosed, of the three sections into which the tender is divided, Baleària won in the two that have objective criteria (technical and economic), and in the section based on subjective criteria (operation), the company had a lower score than the two other companies presented.
Baleària’s President Adolfo Utor claimed that “Baleària has presented the most sustainable and technologically advanced project of the three that have participated in the competition,” stating that it is good news for Spain and Morocco and also for the shipping company which, after almost 20 years of aspiring to operate and modernize this route, has managed to win.
Utor pointed out that “pending official confirmation, we can conclude that Baleària has been the clear winner of the tender,” adding that “the commercial and technological strength displayed by Baleària will generate greater wealth for the region and will favour an increase in economic and cultural activity in both Andalusia and Tangier.”
It is worth noting that, according to Baleària, the construction of the two electric catamarans will be carried out at Astilleros Armon in Gijón and will last two and a half years.
In other news, in July 2024, Baleària added “the world’s second” fast ferry with dual gas engines’ to the Barcelona-Alcúdia-Ciutadella route. This incorporation is said to allow Baleària to increase its high-speed seats on the route by 50% and double the number of vehicles while reducing its carbon footprint.