Baleària emerges as winner of the tender for the Tarifa-Tangier Ville route

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Baleària has emerged as the winning shipping company in the tender to operate the intercontinental maritime route between Tarifa and Tangier Ville, following the opening of the financial bids and the assessment of the technical proposals last Friday.

The shipping company submitted the most sustainable and innovative bid, involving an investment of €135 million in the construction of two zero-emission electric fast ferries with capacity for 800 passengers, the electrification of the ports and the battery-charging system. The two electric catamarans will be built at the Astilleros Armon shipyard in Gijón, with construction expected to take two and a half years.

Baleària’s president, Adolfo Utor, considers that “Baleària submitted the most sustainable and technologically advanced project of the three bids entered in the tender”. He states that this is good news for Spain and Morocco, as well as for the shipping company, which, after almost 20 years of seeking to operate and modernise this route, has succeeded with a strong solution and competitive financial offer. 

It should be noted that the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras announced on Friday the numerical results of the technical and operational bids for the award of berth number 3 at the Port of Tarifa. It also disclosed the financial bids and traffic commitments for the full concession period, which are scored mathematically and automatically, allowing the winner to be determined.

Of the three sections into which the tender is divided, Baleària came first in the two based on objective criteria (technical and financial). In the section based on subjective criteria (operations), the shipping company received a slightly lower score than the other two bidders. The financial bid submitted is also the most advantageous for the APBA.

Adolfo Utor points out that “pending official confirmation, we can conclude that Baleària has been the clear winner of the tender: a Spanish shipping company with two Spanish-built electric vessels”. Utor also states that “the commercial and technological strength demonstrated by Baleària will generate greater wealth in the area and help increase economic and cultural activity in both Andalusia and Tangier”.