According to the shipping company, the main features of this vessel are innovation, sustainability, comfort and speed.
“We want to promote the Balearic Islands, a destination in which we have always been involved and with whose citizens we are firmly committed to, positioning our most revolutionary, greenest and smartest ship,” said Adolfo Utor, president of Baleària, in a press release. He also pointed out that “the number of high-speed passenger seats on this route will increase by 60% and the number of hold seats will double compared to the current offering”, since the vessel has capacity for 1,200 passengers and 450 vehicles.
A sustainable catamaran
The ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’, which began construction at the end of 2018, is the seventh Baleària vessel to use natural gas which reduces polluting emissions and which last year already allowed the shipping company to reduce emissions by 37,000 tonnes of CO2. It is calculated that annually the ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’ will reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to eliminating more than 8,900 conventional cars or planting almost 27,000 trees. Actual fuel consumption and engine efficiency will be monitored by measuring equipment and sensors installed on board, as part of a project co-financed by the European Commission’s CEF funds.
On-board services
The ship contains several cafeterias, as well as a food truck on the outside deck and a children’s area. Digitalisation is a differentiating element as the ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’ offers a free digital entertainment platform, video surveillance of pets, internet and WhatsApp coverage for text messages throughout the crossing.
In addition, passengers will receive their boarding pass via WhatsApp, indicating their assigned seat. On the other hand, the new catamaran has high-tech innovations that considerably reduce movement, vibrations and noise, and the interior spaces are spacious and luminous to offer a comfortable crossing.
Investment
The shipping company has invested 90 million euros in this new fast ferry, with financing from CaixaBank. The financing operation, worth 66 million euros, has been carried out through a loan covered in its entirety by CaixaBank. In addition, the financing and construction of the vessel, which was carried out at the Armon shipyard, was structured through a Tax Lease transaction between CaixaBank and Arcano. In this way, CaixaBank reinforces its implementation of responsible investment principles and is committed to sustainable investment as a strategy for managing global risks.