The first green corridor between Spain and Morocco, from Tarifa to Tangier Ville, will be launched when Baleària’s electric fast ferries enter service in 2027
The first green corridor between Spain and Morocco will be served by two fully electric, zero-emissions fast ferries. These twin ships will connect the cities of Tarifa and Tangier.
“This is a pioneering and technologically advanced public-private project that will enable us, for the first time, to run the entire route using only electric energy and, therefore, zero emissions”, explained Baleària president, Adolfo Utor.
Last December, Baleària was awarded the contract by the Algeciras Bay Port Authority (APBA) to manage the Tarifa-Tangier Ville line for the next 15 years. The APBA prioritised technical and environmental criteria in awarding the first intercontinental green line. “The Port Authority laid the foundations for this project, which is in line with our innovation and sustainability values. We are taking on the challenge of turning the Tarifa-Tangier Ville line into an example of mobility, modernity and international sustainability”, emphasised Mr Utor.
These twin catamarans will be built at the Armon shipyard in Gijón over the next two years. Each boat will have 16 MW of electric power, thanks to four electric propulsion units fuelled by batteries, and the 11,500-kWh capacity will allow them to make the entire 29-km voyage using electric propulsion,emissions free. “They will be totally decarbonised voyages, which will comply, from 2027, with the 2050 objectives”, said Mr Utor, who added electric propulsion, in addition to avoiding emissions, totally eliminates noise and vibrations. Each ship will also have four diesel combustion back-up generators, with a total capacity of 11,200 kW for redundancy.
The fast ferries’ batteries must be fully recharged during the one-hour stopover in each of the ports. To do this, 8-MWh batteries will be installed in both ports, which will be added to the shore power supply. The charging will be carried out by two innovative autonomous robotic arms installed in each port, which will be connected to the ship via the ship’s onshore power system connection.Between the onboard and shore systems, the total battery capacity will be 39 MWh.
Mr Utor stressed this is “a public-private project, with a Spanish shipping company, shipyard and financier, which also involves the international energy and engineering companies Cotenaval, Endesa, Amendis and Incat Crowther.”
