Image: Balearia

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Balearia has incorporated the ferry Rosalind Franklin to the Barcelona-Palma de Mallorca route. The vessel features an exhaust gas cleaning (or 'scrubber') system.

With the scrubber solution installed, the new ship will be able to reduce exhaust gas sulphur oxide emissions to below 0.1 percent, meeting both existing Emission Control Area (ECA) standards and those of the upcoming 0.5 percent global sulphur cap in January 2020.

The 188-metre-long ferry has a sailing speed of 22 knots and will be leaving from the port of Barcelona on a daily basis at 23:00 hours, and from Palma at 12:30 hours, with a journey time of around seven-and-a-half hours.

Last year, Balearia invested EUR 125 million in acquisitions, new vessel construction and repowering as the company continued to focus on improving the fuel efficiency of its fleet and in the development of LNG-powered ferries.

The first in a series of four eco fast ships, the Eco Aqua, started operating between the islands of Ibiza and Formentera last year. The second, Eco Lux, began transporting activities last month, whilst the remaining two ships - Eco Terra and Eco Aire - are expected to commence operations shortly.

The fuel-saving ships are powered by state-of-the-art engines designed to minimize emissions and feature a wave-piercing bow and photovoltaic solar panels, supplying energy on board.

In terms of LNG developments, last year, Balearia ordered two new, dual-fuel, gas-powered ferries to be built at the Cantiere Navale Visentini shipyard in Italy. The vessels are expected to be operational by the end of 2018.

In January 2017, the company's 2010-built Abel Matutes was refuelled with LNG in Barcelona for the first time after being retrofitted with a 30-cubic-metre LNG storage tank and an auxiliary natural gas engine built by Rolls-Royce.

Balearia's fourth LNG-fuelled ferry, which was ordered in 2016 from Construcciones Navales del Norte SL (LaNaval) shipyard in Sestao, Spain, is scheduled to enter into regular service in 2019.