Baleària’s new dual-fuel RoPax fast ferry touches water for the first time in Spain

September 23, 2025, by Sara Kosmajac

Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Armon Gijon has splashed the third dual-fuel roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) fast ferry designed for compatriot ferry operator Baleària by Australia’s Incat Crowther.

As disclosed, now that it has been launched, the 123-meter-long vessel, christened Mercedes Pinto, will undergo the continuation of its internal fit-out before the sea trials. The trials are planned for early 2026.

Following the tests, Mercedes Pinto is set to join its liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered sister vessels, Margarita Salas, which Baleària welcomed in July 2024, and Eleanor Roosevelt, which the Spanish maritime transport player added to its roster back in 2021.

The latest unit in the company’s RoPax fleet will become operational sometime during 2026. Per Incat Crowther’s Technical Manager, Dan Mace, the newbuild is the fifth large RoPax fast ferry to be designed by Incat for Baleària in the past six years.

With the ability to transport 1,200 passengers and 425 vehicles, Mercedes Pinto reportedly features a design based on its sister ships’ platforms. More importantly, just like Margarita Salas and Eleanor Roosevelt, the fast ferry is described as having been conceptualized “with operational sustainability and efficiency in mind.”

As officials from Incat Crowther have highlighted, the ferry has been prepped for a low- and zero-emission future thanks to the capability to run on 100% biomethane or green hydrogen blends of up to 25%.

Moreover, according to the Australia-headquartered shipbuilder, the vessel has been fitted with energy efficiency solutions, integrated emissions monitoring equipment, smart sensors, as well as ‘enhanced’ real-time navigation systems.

In addition to the mentioned ferries, Dan Mace has commented that Incat Crowther also designed two 87-meter 100% electric, zero-emission Ro-Pax fast ferries for Baleària, which are to be built in Spain.

To remind, at the very end of January this year, Baleària revealed the design of a pair of 100% electric fast ferries that would be deployed on what is hailed as the first green corridor between Spain and Morocco, connecting the cities of Tarifa and Tangier.

The contract to manage the Tarifa-Tangier Ville line for the next 15 years was awarded to the ferry operator by the Algeciras Bay Port Authority (APBA). As divulged at the time, the twin catamarans will be built at the Armon shipyard in Gijón over the next two and a half years.

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