Baleària begins operating three of its ships solely on bio-LNG bunker fuel

Spanish shipping company Baleària on Thursday (2 October) said it has started operating three of its vessels exclusively on bio-LNG. 

The Margarita Salas, Abel Matutes and Rusadir vessels, which have dual gas engines, have been powered exclusively by this renewable fuel since the beginning of September.

The company has procured 132 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of bioLNG, which will allow the three ships to sail emissions-free until December 2025. This volume, supplied over just four months, is equivalent to 13% of the LNG consumed by Baleària’s entire gas-powered fleet in 2024.

With this measure, Baleària is not eliminating its carbon footprint on the Barcelona–Alcúdia–Ciutadella and Malaga–Melilla routes.

The use of this biofuel between September and December will prevent the emission of 80,300 tonnes of CO2, the annual equivalent of taking 153,500 cars off the roads or planting 160,650 trees.

Biomethane, produced from livestock waste, captures and recovers methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, transforming it into useful energy for shipping. The biomethane supplied is converted into bioLNG thanks to the pioneering conversion service at Enagás’ regasification plants, which is already up and running in Huelva, Barcelona and Cartagena.

“The use of bioLNG on our regular routes represents a real and verifiable step forward in our commitment to achieving net-zero emissions,” said Georges Bassoul, CEO of Baleària. 

“The investments in our fleet that we have made in recent years to equip it with dual engines allow us to use this renewable fuel, which prevents the release of greenhouse gases and accelerates decarbonisation.”

Photo credit: Baleària
Published: 6 October, 2025