Two new 100% electric, zero-emission ro-pax fast ferries, designed by the ship design company Incat Crowther will be built by Astilleros Armon’s Gijón shipyard for operation by Spanish shipping company Baleària.

The new ro-pax vessels, ESPAÑA 2030 and MAROC 2030, will connect Tarifa in Spain with Tangier in Morocco, creating the first ‘green corridor’ between Europe and Africa, as the ship designer informs.

Baleària was awarded the tender by the Bay of Algeciras Port Authority to service the route, and it will see significant investment in onshore charging infrastructure at both ports.

The ESPAÑA 2030 and MAROC 2030, which are expected to commence operation in 2027, will feature an electric power capacity of 16MW thanks to four electric propulsion units powered by 11,500 kWh capacity batteries.

The vessels will have the ability to transport up to 804 passengers and 225 vehicles, at a maximum speed of 26 knots.

The battery charging will be carried out by two innovative autonomous robotic arms installed in each port, which will be connected to the ship via an OPS (Onshore Power System) connection.

Incat Crowther mentions that each vessel will be capable of recharging the energy needed for the route in just 40 minutes, but each ship will also have four diesel combustion back-up generators with a total capacity of 11,200 kW.