Baleària's New High-speed Dual-fuel RoPax Eleanor Roosevelt Enters Service

Spanish shipping company Baleària has put into service its newest vessel, Eleanor Roosevelt, said to be the world’s first very large catamaran Ro-Pax ferry powered by dual-fuel reciprocating engines.

Designed by Incat Crowther, the 123-meter-long aluminum vessel was built by Astilleros Armon at its Gijon shipyard in Spain using modular construction techniques. It is classed by Bureau Veritas.

The Incat Crowther 123 Dual-Fuel Ro-Pax is powered by a quartet of Wärtsilä 16V31DF main engines. Each of these engines produces 8800kW and drives a Wartsila LJX 1500 waterjet. 

Baleària has been introducing cleaner burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) powerplants to its fleet, pioneering agreements with fuel and machinery suppliers. Its use reduces CO2 emissions by 30%, NOx by 35% and eliminates sulfur and other particulates, according to Incat Crowther, which said the use of LNG fuel combined with its latest-generation hull form offers relatively low fuel consumption for a vessel of this size.

The ferry can can cruise at 35 knots, with a maximum speed of over 40 knots. The LNG tanks give it a range of 400 nautical miles when sailing with gas.

Eleanor Roosevelt has capacity for 450 cars and 1,200 passengers. The main vehicle deck has a height clearance of 4.85m, affording 500 lane meters of truck capacity.

Interesting interior fitout spaces developed by Oliver Design of Spain are divided into dedicated zones and offer facilities such as multiple bars, a market and a food court, kindergarten and outdoor terrace. There are also kennels to allow travelers to bring their pets, with kennel monitoring via a smart phone app, and electric vehicle charging stations. Boarding is by way of QR codes on passengers’ mobile devices, whilst high-speed Wi-Fi is available throughout the vessel. The ship also has an escalator and a lift to the upper deck.

For improved passenger comfort, motions have been reduced with the latest iteration of Incat Crowther’s proven hull form, coupled with an operation-specific center bow design. A retractable center T-foil will also be used to smooth the ride, whilst an isolated superstructure provides ultra-quiet passenger spaces.

Principal dimensions
Length Overall: 402’ 11” / 123.0m
Length Waterline: 389’ 10” / 118.8m
Beam Overall: 91’ 11” / 28.0m
Draft (hull): 10’ 5” / 3.15m
Depth: 25’ 8” / 7.8m
Construction: Marine grade aluminum

Capacities
Fuel Oil Main: 81 893 gallons / 310 000 liters
Fuel Oil Day: 793 gallons / 3 000 liters
LNG: 6 710 cu ft / 190m3
Fresh Water: 2642 gallons / 10 000 liters
Sullage: 1717 gallons / 6 500 liters
Passengers: 1 200
Crew: 21
Vehicles (all cars): 450 cars
Vehicles (trucks + cars): 500 lane meters trucks + 250 cars

Propulsion and performance
Speed (Service): 35 knots
Speed (Max): 40 knots
Main Engines: 4 x Wartsila 16V31DF
Power: 4 x 8800kW @ 765rpm
Propulsion: 4 x Wärtsilä LJX 1500 waterjets
Generators: 2 x 130ekW (diesel) + 2 x 344ekW (LNG)

Regulatory
Flag: Cyprus
Class / Survey: BV I  HULL  MACH, HSC Cat B /Ro-Ro Passenger Ship, Sea Area 4, AUT-UMS DUALFUEL