Madrid-based LNG operator, Gas Natural Fenosa cooperated with its compatriot ferry operator Baleària to conduct the first LNG bunkering operation for its vessel Abel Matutes in Port of Valencia. 

The port said in its statement that the operation carried out over the last weekend was the first such operation at the port for the vessel.

The 29,670-tonne RoPax ferry, delivered in 2010 from the Hijos de J Barreras shipyard in Vigo, Spain, uses an LNG-fuelled auxiliary engine to generate 1560kWe power, reducing emissions during port stays. During the summer the vessel will operate between the ports of Valencia and Mallorca.

The engine, which is used in approaches and stays in port, is fully integrated into the ship’s power plant and can work with any of the own auxiliaries and without visual impact.

The ferry, which has a length of 190 meters, has a capacity of 900 people and 2,235 linear meters of ro-ro cargo. The LNG bunkering marked the start of operation of the Abel Matutes at the Port of Valencia.