Baleària plans new investment in LNG-fueled fleet

Spanish ferry operator Baleària intends to invest up to €450 million (US$478.9 million) in new vessels and terminals over the next five years.

The company noted that three new LNG-fueled vessels, one of which will be built at the LaNaval shipyard and two at Cantieri Navale Visentini, are included in the investment plan.

The new investment plan also includes the purchase of other units and the modernization of its fleet through retrofits, Baleària said.

Baleària has earlier this month signed a shipbuilding contract with the Italian shipyard, Cantieri Navale Visentini, two dual-fuel gas engine sister ferries, measuring 186.5 meters in length and a capacity for 810 people.

The order is worth around €200 million, and the LNG-fueled vessels are expected to be operational by the end of 2018.

The order came a year after the company ordered one LNG-fueled ferry with Shipyard Construcciones Navales del Norte – LaNaval, priced at €175 million. The first ferry is expected to be operational in 2019.

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LNG World News Staff