The truck-to-ship bunkering process took place on 19 July in the port of Viana do Castelo where the conversion work on the ferry is done by the Portuguese West Sea shipyard.

This also marked the first ever LNG bunkering service at any port operated by the Douro, Leixoes and Viana do Castelo Port Authority.

Balearia said the Sicilia ferry will be ready by the end of July this year, in May.

Earlier this year, the West Sea shipyard started retrofitting the vessel to enable it to operate on LNG. The vessel which was designed in 2002 will now sail on two modified dual-fuel MAN engines.

The ferry boasts a 425 cbm LNG fuel tank that allows it to fly 1,100 miles. The vessel is 186 meters long and can carry 1,000 passengers and 480 vehicles. 

Balearia currently has a fleet of six LNG-powered ferries, four of which are conversions and two newbuildings.

Before the end of 2021, the ferry company expects to have a fleet of nine LNG-powered vessels with a total investment of 380 million euros (442.9 million dollars).

Maritime Business World