Baleària launches Tarifa–Tanger Ville route and announces electric ships by 2027

On May 8, Spanish shipping company Baleària will launch the new Tarifa (Cadiz province) to Tanger Ville route, with an initial schedule of four daily departures in each direction. This addition complements the company’s existing three routes between Spain and Morocco.

Initially, the fast ferry Avemar Dos will operate the service, following successful docking tests at both Gibraltar Strait shores. The crossing will take about an hour. A second modernized fast ferry will join the service soon.

Both vessels will feature modern amenities to meet contemporary maritime transport standards. Guided day or two-day excursions in Tanger, including heritage and culinary tours of the medina, will be available for passengers.

Baleària's CEO, Georges Bassoul, described this new route as a "pivotal milestone in the development of our presence on the southern Mediterranean coast." The company, active in Morocco since 2003, aims to sustainably serve the growing flow of travelers and goods between the two continents.

Looking ahead to 2027, Baleària plans to introduce two fully electric ferries, which will provide the first decarbonized maritime connection between Europe and Africa. These ships, under construction by Astilleros Armón in Gijón, will have a power capacity of 16 MW, powered by 11,500 kWh batteries. This energy will enable them to cover the 18 nautical miles between the two ports with zero emissions.

Each ferry will also feature four backup diesel generators, providing 11,200 kW of power to address potential failures. The batteries will be recharged during the one-hour stopover in Tarifa and Tanger Ville, utilizing 8 MWh land-based storage units and connected to the grid by autonomous articulated arms via the OPS (Onshore Power Supply) technology.

In 2024, Baleària transported one million passengers between Spain and Morocco, accounting for nearly 20% of its total traffic. Freight volume reached 2.2 million linear meters, equivalent to about 150,000 trucks, reflecting a 7% increase compared to the previous year.