Spanish maritime shipping company Baleària has announced a first-of-its-kind all-electric fast ferry “green corridor” route between Spain and Morocco.
The new route, across the Strait of Gibraltar, will connect the Spanish municipalities of Tarifa and Tangier in Morocco with zero emissions.
Spain’s Armon Shipyard will build the ferries over 32 months. Each vessel will be equipped with electric engines that generate 16 megawatts, which will allow it to make a one-way zero-emission journey. The onboard batteries will then be charged at each two ports in as little as 40 minutes. The ferries will also be equipped with diesel generators as backup engines.
President of Spanish shipping of Baleària, Adolfo Utor Martínez, touted the project as a “transformational milestone” in the maritime sector. He said that port infrastructure will undergo major upgrades to support the new route, including state-of-the-art charging and docking stations.
The green corridor is expected to bolster economic relations between Morocco and Spain, attract new investments in the maritime sector, create job opportunities, and enhance economic integration.