Spanish ferry operator Balearia welcomed the converted LNG-powered ferry, Hedy Lamarr, in its fleet following the completion of conversion works at Portugal’s West Sea yard.
Balearia said in October that the shipyard had started conversion works on Hedy Lamarr, the last out of six vessels that will get LNG propulsion.
In January, the yard installed two Crynorm 565-cbm LNG tanks on the ferry. The two LNG tanks would enable the vessel to travel about 1400 nautical miles on LNG, according to Balearia.
As part of the conversion, West Sea adapted Hedy Lamarr’s MAN engines to dual-fuel propulsion, allowing them to run on both LNG and diesel.
The ferry was on Friday located in Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca. This could mean that the vessel has already started work between Palma and Valencia.
We contacted Balearia for a comment but we did not receive a reply by the time this article was published.
With this, Baleria has completed a program consisting of nine LNG-powered vessels with a total investment of 380 million euros ($416.5 million).
Balearia now has six converted LNG ferries and three LNG-powered newbuilds in its fleet.
However, the ferry operator is in talks with compatriot shipbuilder Armon Gijon to order a new LNG-powered fast ferry after the delivery of its Eleanor Roosevelt in April last year.
Should the deal for the second fast ferry materialize, Balearia would have a fleet of ten LNG-powered vessels.