The Dianense shipping company Balčaria has announced the important investment of 60 million euros to convert five of its ships into boats powered by natural gas in the next two years. This is a change that will help reduce more than 45.000 tons of CO2, 4.400 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) annually and completely eliminate sulfur and particulate emissions.
The first of the ships in the fleet that will adapt to gas propulsion will be the ferry Nápoles, since it is foreseen that these works are undertaken during the wintering of this winter.
To these changes is added the construction of two smart ships in the Visentini shipyards in Italy, the first of which will be operational as of next February.
President of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, recalled that liquefied natural gas is the most environmentally friendly fossil fuel and points out that "in three years the company plans to have nine ships sailing with this energy".
Bet for sustainability
Baleària has been working on projects related to liquefied natural gas from 2012. So, in addition to being a founding partner of the Spanish Association of Natural Gas for Mobility (GASNAM), created in 2013, maintains strategic agreements with Gas Natural Fenosa (with whom it has an exclusive LNG subminister contract for 10 years) and Rolls Royce and Wärtsilä (for the construction of engines). In addition, last year it launched the first LNG energy generator on a passenger ship, the Abel Matutes, and has a training plan in LNG for its crew and ship inspectors from 2015.
