Spanish ferry operator Baleària revealed it recently invested nearly EUR 75 million (USD 92.7 million) in the fleet expansion.
The company acquired the ferries Sicília and Naples from Swedish Stena Line and Jonathan Swift from Irish Ferries.
Following these acquisitions, the company’s owned fleet comprises 24 ships, according to Baleària.
Naples and Sicília, which are twin vessels, have been working for Baleària under charter contracts since 2015. They are deployed on the València-Ibiza-Palma and Barcelona-Ibiza routes, respectively.
Built in 2002, the 186-meter-long vessels have a capacity of 950 passengers and a navigation speed of 23 knots.
The third vessel is a high speed craft built in 1999. As World Maritime News earlier reported , Baleària inked a memorandum of understanding with the Irish Continental Group (ICG) in January to purchase the ship for EUR 15.5 million.
The 86-meter-long Jonathan Swift reaches a speed of 38 knots and can accommodate 800 passengers and 200 vehicles. The ship operated on ICG’s Dublin – Holyhead route.
Baleària has started a fleet renewal process by ordering two ferries powered by natural gas at Cantiere Navale Visentini and four eco fast ferries at Astilleros Gondàn. The first eco fast ferry started operating in December 2017.
World Maritime News Staff