Baleària plans to invest 450 million euros in new ships and smart terminals
The president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, today presented the strategic investment plan of the shipping company for the next five years amounting to 450 million euros, aiming to win "in competitiveness and offer the best services at the best prices". Mainly due to the construction of new gas-powered ships and terminals that apply technological and intelligent solutions.
The investment plan includes both the construction of three new natural gas- powered smartships (one at the LaNaval shipyard and two at Cantieri Navale Visenti), as well as the purchase of other units and the modernization of fleet vessels thanks to retrofits . In addition, the construction of new smart terminals for passengers in Barcelona, Valencia and Palma is planned, as well as the opening of new traffic. Utor stressed that these investments reinforce "the commitment of the shipping innovation and energy efficiency as a basis for further growth."
The Baleària group transported 10% more passengers, vehicles and rolling stock in 2016 than in the previous year, reaching 3.5 million passengers, 750,000 vehicles and more than 5 million linear meters of goods on all routes, operating on national level (Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla) and international (United States-Bahamas, Morocco and Algeria).
The 25 ships of the shipping company covered more than one million miles in all 18 routes in 2016, 20% more than in the previous year, mainly due to the opening of new connections with Melilla and Algeria and to the expansion of Services on the Balearic Islands.
In North Africa, Baleària added new lines to the connections from Algeciras to Ceuta and Tangier. Thus, in 2016 routes were opened from Melilla to Almería and Malaga, and a connection from Valencia to Mostaganem. This has allowed an increase of 7% in passenger traffic, with a total of 1.65 million passengers, and an 8% increase in goods transported (975,000 linear meters).
In the line between Tangier and Algeciras, which Baleària has operated since 2003, overall growth was 4.5%, reaching almost 500,000 passengers and 800,000 linear meters of cargo. In line with Algeria, in only half a year the figure reached 63,000 passengers, while connections with Melilla, in two months of operation, reached 30,000 passengers and 6,300 vehicles.
On the other hand, the subsidiary Baleària Caribbean, which sails between the United States and the Bahamas, consolidates its fifth anniversary with a growth of 5% and a total of 150,000 passengers who used its services.
Thus, in its three international routes the company carried more than 700,000 passengers during 2016, 15% more than the previous year. Passengers on international routes account for 20% of the total Baleària group.
Source and more information: Baleària
