Technology group, Wärtsilä has signed a 10-year lifecycle agreement with Spanish ferry operator Baleària.
This agreement covers Baleària’s new high-speed aluminium built catamaran ropax, ‘Margarita Salas’, which recently entered into service.
She was built by the Astilleros Armon Gijon yard in Spain and is powered by four Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines, four Wärtsilä WXJ hydraulic waterjets. She also features two Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage and supply systems.
A sistership, ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’, was delivered earlier fitted with the same Wärtsilä systems.
Their unique design developed by the Gijon shipyard, combining high-speed waterjets with medium-speed gas-fuelled engines, is proving to be very successful, representing a new ropax reference case, Wärtsilä said.
The lifecycle agreement will ensure that the key design values of high efficiency, customer comfort, reduced operating costs, and environmental sustainability, are secured and maintained.
“We feel confident with Wärtsilä solutions which will help us to deliver the high performance and comfort level we offer to our clients, while lowering the emissions of our operations.
“The reliability of our service is naturally of key importance to our customers, and this agreement with Wärtsilä provides us the highest expertise from the manufacturer to optimally maintain the vessel at all times,” said Juan Pablo Molina, Baleària’s Corporate Technical Director.
The agreement was developed to meet the vessels’ specific operating needs and requirements. It includes maintenance planning, spare parts and maintenance services for scheduled maintenance, operational support, and Wärtsilä’s Expert Insight digital predictive maintenance service.
“Following the successful delivery of our equipment to the ferry newbuild, we are proud to be supporting Baleària with keeping the vessel reliable operations as efficiently as possible during its lifecycle,” added Miguel Sanchez, Director Sales South Europe & Africa – Wärtsilä Marine.
“We have been working with the ferry industry for many years now and have seen an increased number of ferries serviced under long-term agreements, totaling 37 today.
“This agreement is the fifth (with) Baleària and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership on this de-carbonisation journey,” he said.
‘Margarita Salas’ operates between Barcelona, the Mallorcan port of Alcudia and Ciudadela on the island of Menorca.
