Cecilia Payne on the Alcudia-Ciudadela-Barcelona Route

The catamaran “Cecilia Payne” (IMO 9188881) has started today the Alcudia-Ciudadela-Barcelona route. A strategic move by Balearia in anticipation of the summer of 2021, when passenger and vehicle traffic between Barcelona and the Balearic Islands is expected to revive, particularly strengthening the daytime service between Barcelona and Ciudadela, as well as the segment between Ciudadela and Alcudia and vice versa.

With this, Balearia returns to Barcelona with a high-speed vessel that connects three segments and expands its coverage, positioning itself ahead of the anticipated impact that the arrival of Italian shipping companies GNV and Grimaldi through Trasmed GLE will have starting next July, on the routes from Barcelona and Valencia to Palma and Ibiza.

The catamaran “Cecilia Payne” is an Austal model that has been in service since April 1999, when it was launched for Irish Ferries Ltd. under the name “Jonathan Swift”. Since June 2018, it has been operating for Balearia with considerable success. It has a capacity for 800 passengers and 200 cars and maintains a speed of 36 knots, thus beating the brand new “Eleanor Roosevelt” by ten minutes on the Denia-Ibiza-Palma route.

The catamaran "Cecilia Payne", upon its arrival at the port of Barcelona

Photos: Manuel Aguilera Panadero and Jordi Montoro