Baleària’s fast ferry completes first trip operating on 100% bio-LNG
Baleària and Axpo Iberia have reached a new milestone in the decarbonization of maritime transport by completing the first pilot trip on a fast ferry with 100% renewable fuel in Europe. The 133-mile journey between the ports of Barcelona and Ciutadella (Menorca) was made by Baleària’s Eleanor Roosevelt, the world’s first fast ferry with natural gas engines, which has just been launched and which usually operates on the route Denia-Ibiza-Palma.
The use of biomethane as a renewable fuel on this journey avoided the emission of more than 50 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. This means that an equivalent volume of fossil fuel has been displaced in the Spanish gas system, taking a further step towards the decarbonization of the Spanish energy system in general and the maritime transport sector in particular.
During the journey, Fundación Empresa y Clima presented its “XII Situation Report on CO2 emissions in the world. Year 2019”, where the latest verified official data on the situation of CO2 emissions at the world, European and Spanish level was offered. At the end of the presentation, the President of Baleària Adolfo Utor received the certificates of renewable origin, which certify the neutral emissions of this journey, from Ignacio Soneira, General Director of Axpo Iberia.
“It is a first experience that we carry out with an important partner, and that represents a new milestone on the path towards decarbonization on the horizon of 2050, by being able to use biomethane as a renewable fuel. Although it is currently a scarce fuel, we hope that it will soon be accessible, both in terms of volume and competitiveness,” said Utor.
For its part, Axpo reinforces with this initiative its position as a supplier of LNG as marine fuel, using biomethane as a new lever in the fight against climate change. “Axpo was the first operator to market biomethane in Spain in 2015 and this project sends a clear message about our commitment to an energetically decarbonized future thanks to a 100% renewable fuel that will contribute to meeting the sustainable development goals set by Europe by 2030,” said Soneira.
Companies and industries of all kinds are well aware that their actions and decisions in relation to energy consumption are vital to achieve less use of fossil fuels and their key role in energy transformation. The European decarbonization challenges are very demanding and require to make use of all available mechanisms. In this sense, the energy valuation of waste through its transformation into biomethane becomes an important ally.
