In August, the Finnish corporation Wärtsilä signed a contract with the Spanish shipyard Construcciones Navales del Norte SL (LaNaval) in the city of Sestau for the design and delivery of a liquefied natural gas propulsion system for a new RoRo passenger ferry, with the possibility of developing another ship. The ship is being built for the Spanish owner Baleària, a leading carrier serving the Balearic Islands.
The ship should start regular sailing in 2019 and it will be the first RoRo passenger ferry in the Mediterranean and one of the largest ferries in Europe. This environmentally efficient ‘smart ship’ will be 232 meters long and have a capacity for 331 vehicles and 1,700 passengers, of which 70% can be accommodated in cabins. The speed of the ship will be able to reach 24 knots. To ensure passenger comfort, Wärtsilä will apply strict noise and vibration reduction standards to its main and auxiliary engines, propellers and maneuvering thrusters. With natural gas propulsion, the ship’s environmental footprint will be very acceptable as Wärtsil’s solution reduces CO2 emissions by 25%, NOx by 85%, while sulfur and particulate matter are almost completely eliminated.