The shipping company Baleària, a global pioneer in the use of liquefied natural gas as a fuel, has just been launched in the Italian shipyards Cantiere Navale VisentiniThe ferry Marie Curiewhile his twin Hypatia of Alexandria it is pending to complete its construction and perform the corresponding sea tests.
It is about the first ferries powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) that will sail in the Mediterranean. It is foreseen that the Hypatia of Alexandria start operating at the beginning of next year and the Marie Curie a few months later.
In the case of recently floated Marie Curie, almost all of its structure has already been completed and work is being done on the habilitation of the passenger and crew areas, so that at present the 50% of the construction has been exceeded. In addition, both engines and LNG tanks and main equipment are already on board.
An investment of 200 million euros
On the other hand, the Hypatia of Alexandria is almost finished. Currently the ferry is in a dry dock where the antifouling silicone is being applied to the live work of the hull. It is expected that the ship will carry out navigation tests in the coming weeks with both liquefied natural gas and fuel.
Investment in the construction of these two smart ships pioneers in the Mediterranean reaches the 200 million euros. They are two sustainable vessels of identical characteristics: 186,5 meters in length, maximum speed of 24 knots and capacity for 810 people, 2.180 linear meters of cargo and 150 vehicles.
In these new constructions, technology and digitalization are at the service of energy efficiency, since in addition to dual fuel and LNG generators (with a power of 20.600 KW) these vessels have led lighting, among others. In addition, the latest innovations in onboard services will be applied in order to make a more experiential trip.
