Spanish Ferry Revamped To Use LNG

Spanish ferry company Balearia announced on July 25 that its second LNG-retrofitted passenger ship would shortly begin operations.

The Abel Matutes vessel completed a five-month overhaul in early July, during which time it was fitted with dual-gas engines and two 178-m³ LNG storage tanks. According to Balearia, the ship will start operating along a route between Huelva in southwest Spain and two ports in the Canary Islands on July 28.

Abel Matutes is 190 metres long and can transport up to 900 people. It is the second of Balearia’s vessels to undergo LNG retrofitting, with similar work on its sister ship Napoles completed earlier this year. The European Commission has helped fund these upgrades with grants. In April, Balearia CEO Adolfo Utor warned that these environmental benefits would carry a financial cost.

Balearia now has four LNG-powered vessels in service, and aims to expand this to a fleet of nine by 2021, including six retrofits and three newbuilds.