Baleària and Fred. Olsen Express have renewed their commitment to the port of Huelva and explained their efforts towards energy transition to clean fuels such as natural gas under the framework of the CEF Conference: ‘Port of Huelva Intermodal Platform,’ organized by the Port Authority of Huelva.
“About to complete the first year, our quality, frequent and reliable service between Huelva and the Canary Islands has had a good progression of passengers and merchandise. We renew our commitment so that Huelva is a European and versatile port and becomes an engine for the local and provincial economy,” said the president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, representing the alliance of this shipping company and Fred. Olsen Express
The event ended with a visit to the LNG-powered vessel Abel Matutes, which operates the Huelva-Canarias route within the Baleària and Fred. Olsen Express alliance, and that in mid-November will be replaced by the smart ship Marie Curie, a newly built ship that was delivered in July and also runs on natural gas.
“Natural gas is a strategic commitment, for social responsibility and economic profitability. With the use of LNG, in which we are worldwide pioneers, we contribute to fighting climate change. This year we were the first to navigate on this cleaner energy in the Balearic Islands, the Strait and between the Peninsula and the Canary Islands, thanks to the four ferries we currently have, besides the five additional that will join the fleet until 2021,” said Utor.
During the efficiency- and sustainability-focused event, new opportunities for maritime connectivity through logistics actors were also discussed, as well as promoting the ‘Motorways of the Sea’ as an extension of the Atlantic Corridor. The speakers analyzed the importance of LNG in the transport network of the Atlantic Corridor, paying special attention to the initiatives carried out by the Port Authority of Huelva, including the CORE LNGas hive, HIVE2, ECO-Gate and the Sustainable Cold Logistics Hub projects.
Baleària is a pioneer company worldwide in the use of LNG as marine fuel. It has been working on projects related to this fuel since 2012. It currently has four ferries with LNG dual fuel engines, two of them newly built (Hypatia de Alejandría and Marie Curie) and two retrofitted (Nápoles and Abel Matutes). In addition, four more converted ships will be added until 2021, as well as the world’s first ‘fast ferry’ powered by LNG dual fuel engines, Eleanor Roosevelt, which is scheduled to be operational in 2020. Therefore, the plan includes a total of nine LNG-powered smart ships by 2021.
LNG is more sustainable, since it eliminates SOx and particle emissions, and reduces 85% of NOx. It also emits 30% less CO2, one of the main greenhouse gases. Due to its environmental and economic benefits, it has experienced great growth as a marine fuel in the Iberian Peninsula. To analyze this extremely positive scenario for natural gas both in road and maritime transport, and evaluate the latest in alternative fuel technologies and sustainable mobility, AltFuels Iberia 2020 will be held on 5-9 October at IFEMA Trade Fair Center in Madrid. For more information, please contact info@altfuelsiberia.com.
Source: Baleària
