Baleària has added the Rusadir, a newly built cruise ferry, to its fleet to reinforce the quality of its connections as the winner of the line of interest between Melilla and Malaga. The company, which has chartered the ship for an initial period of seven months, expects it to begin operating on April 3 between the autonomous city and the port of Malaga with six weekly rotations, as well as a connection on Saturdays with Almería. Ella is a state-of-the-art ship, equipped with an electric propulsion system powered by dual natural gas engines, and equipped with numerous on-board services focused on the comfort and entertainment of passengers.
The cruise ferry, which is 187 meters long and 31 meters wide, has been built between Germany and Norway, and has been completed at the Nauta Shipard shipyard (Gdynia, Poland), where the shipping company has subjected it to a thorough inspection. In addition, the infrastructure has been deployed to have Wi-Fi and other works necessary to improve customer service.
Electric propulsion with dual gas engines
Regarding the technical characteristics, it should be noted that the ship’s propulsion system is fully electric and has a power plant with dual gas engines, a versatile technology that Baleària has invested in in recent years, since it allows sailing with different fuels. These engines can alternate the consumption of fuel and natural gas (an energy that the shipping company considers to be in transition towards decarbonization) and are prepared to navigate with renewable sources that are neutral in C02 emissions, when these energies are viable in terms of costs and availability. With this new cruise ferry, Baleària will have a fleet of eleven ships equipped with this technology, including new constructions and repowering.
On the other hand, the ship has 2 transversal propellers for maneuver at the bow and one at the stern with a power of 2 MW each, which, together with the electric motors, allow great maneuverability.
services on board
The ship that Baleària will debut on the Melilla-Málaga route has a capacity for 1,670 people, and can hold 2,600 linear meters of cargo on its two hold decks. Regarding accommodations, the 261 cabins for passengers stand out, with different categories and capacities, equipped with bathroom and some with television. In addition, it has two cafeterias, a restaurant, a shop, a children’s area, a cinema, a prayer room, and numerous lounge areas.
The comfort of navigation of the Rusadir, which can reach speeds of 22 knots, is guaranteed thanks to a stabilization system with hydraulically operated retractable fins. Likewise, the ship has technical innovations that minimize noise and vibrations for greater passenger comfort.
