ARCHIVED - Balearia amplifies ferry connections between Andalusian coast of Malaga, Motril and Almeria to Melilla
Baleària’s ‘Hypatia de Alejandría’ was the first LNG-propelled ferry to sail in the Mediterranean, and will now be linking Melilla with Málaga, Motril and Almería
The Baleària ferry operator, which has recently obtained a state contract to connect Almeria and Motril with Melilla for a year, will also be running ferries between Málaga and Melilla three days a week as of 26 March.
The company’s state-of-the-art ‘Hypatia de Alejandría’ ferry with a capacity for 880 passengers and 608 vehicles will be covering the Almería to Melilla and Motril to Melilla routes every week as well as running between Málaga and Melilla.
The routes from Melilla to the port of Motril will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the morning, and with a crossing duration of less than five hours. The shipping company thus resumes a route that it operated in the summer of 2016 with a fast ferry.
The departures to Almería will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at night.
On the other hand, the shipping company will maintain connectivity with Malaga, despite not being awarded this line, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons before turning around and heading back to Melilla overnight.
The 186-metre-long ferry was the first liquified natural gas-propelled ferry to operate in the Mediterranean.
Built at the Visentini dockyards in Venice and launched in January 2019, the ferry is a Smart Ship fitted with state of the art technology for passengers including QR codes to access cabins, a digital entertainment platform and WhatsApp services throughout its voyages.