Spanish ferry completes carbon-free journey with 100% renewable fuel

Energy producer and trader Axpo Iberia SL announced today that a ferry to which its supplied 100% renewable fuel completed a test crossing from Barcelona to Ciutadella, a port city on the Spanish island of Menorca.

Eleanor Roosevelt, a new vessel in the fleet of Spanish ferry operator Balearia, completed a 133-nautical-mile (246.3km/153.1 miles) journey using renewable biomethane certified by Axpo Iberia. The high-speed ferry is equipped with natural gas hybrid engines.

The milestone is touted as Europe’s first carbon-free ferry crossing. The test trip helped avoid the emission of over 50 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, according to Axpo.

"The enormous challenges of achieving a carbon-free world demand the use of all the means at our disposal. This includes using energy produced from waste converted into biomethane,” commented Axpo Iberia managing director Ignacio Soneira.

“We are counting on biomethane being available in sufficient quantities and affordable in the future to enable us to use this renewable fuel," added Balearia president Adolfo Utor.

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