Electric Ferry To Transform Island Run

The 82m newbuild will be capable of zero emission operation while approaching, manoeuvring and alongside in port. Furthermore, the double-ended vessel has been designed to act as a demonstrator for hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Constructed by the Vigo yard of Astilleros Armon to the account of Balearia, Cap de Barbaria will transport up to 14 trucks and 390 passengers on the inter-island route linking Ibiza with its smaller neighbour Formentera.

Year-round operability in all weather conditions has been a fundamental requirement of the technical project, along with the scope for running wholly on battery power during all phases of port approach and departure, manoeuvring, berthing and unberthing.

The drive-through configuration renders efficient loading and unloading, ensuring expeditious turnarounds, while passage making on the one-hour crossings will be reliant on 1,150kW azimuthing electric propulsors, one at each end of the hull, in an arrangement which is conducive to directional stability and precise manoeuvring.

While the lithium-ion based energy storage system ensures ample autonomous capacity for port stays, entry and departure, the vessel is also fitted so as to draw power from the shoreside grid when berthed.

The primary power solution provides for a speed of 14 knots, and the 240 lane-metre commercial vehicle intake reflects the importance of the service as a lifeline for merchandise and essential products supply to Formentera. The Valencia company Cotenaval was engaged for technical design consultancy, and Oliver Design of Getxo, in Greater Bilbao, was retained for the interiors, styling and related architecture.

Cap de Barbaria will be commissioned as hydrogen-ready, prepared so as to facilitate retrofit of a 200kW fuel cell. The proposed installation is sized to meet 30% of the vessel’s energy needs, and the fuel storage volume would allow system use for up to 24 hours. The operator plans to use Cap de Barbaria, in the course of her regular duties, as a platform for testing and evaluating ‘green’ hydrogen usage on a small scale.

The final sea trials phase in the Vigo estuary is scheduled for mid April, with a view to handover to Balearia by the beginning of May and subsequent release for the Ibiza-Formentera line.

Astilleros Armon also has a 35-knot ro-pax catamaran ferry in hand for Balearia. The vessel is under construction at the contractor’s Gijon yard and is a near-sister to the 123m, LNG dual-fuel Eleanor Roosevelt, delivered in 2021.