The operation took place at the port in the province of Alicante, south of Valencia, in Spain, last Wednesday.

According to the Spanish ferry operator, Balearia's converted ferry Bahama Mama bunkered the fuel via a truck-to-ship approach involving two ESK tankers.

It was not only Denia's first LNG bunkering operation but, Balearia said, for any port that the Valencian government owns.

Puerto Natura, a company in Balearia which manages the maritime station in Denia, has previously received permission to conduct LNG bunkering operations.

Upon completing the retrofitting work at Gibraltar's Gibdock shipyard, the Bahama Mama ferry resumed operations.

The ferry now has a dual-fuel propulsion and two 280 cbm LNG tanks allowing it to sail approximately 750 nautical miles.

The ship is currently operating on the ferry route that links Denia with Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca.

The vessel joins the growing fleet of LNG-powered vessels at Balearia as the shipping company tries to minimize pollution.

Bahama Mama is the fifth LNG-powered ferry on the company's fleet and the third modified vessel to be able to sail on LNG.

Balearia expects a more retrofitted ferry, Sicilia, to be launched in July. Before the end of 2021 the ferry company expects to have a fleet of nine LNG-powered vessels with a cumulative expenditure of 380 million euros (428.9 million dollars).

Maritime Business World