HSC Ramon Llull

Ramon Llull in Ciutadella de Menorca
History
Name	Ramon Llull
Namesake	Spanish Philosopher and theologian Ramon Llull
Owner	Baleària (Baleària Eurolineas Maritimas)
Operator	(2003–present): Baleària (2025): DFDS (chartered)
Port of registry	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Route	Dénia – Ibiza – Formentera (primary) Strait of Gibraltar (charter)
Builder	Rodriquez Cantieri Navali Pietra Ligure, Italy
Yard number	311
Launched	2003
Completed	June 2003
Acquired	2003
Maiden voyage	June 2003
In service	June 2003
Identification	IMO number: 9262065 Call sign: ECDI MMSI number: 224247000
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class & type	Rodriquez 83m Catamaran
Tonnage	2,616 GT 349 DWT
Length	83.35 m (273 ft 5 in)
Beam	13.50 m (44 ft 3 in)
Draft	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Depth	8.80 m (28 ft 10 in)
Installed power	4 × MTU 20V4000 diesel engines (installed 2019)
Propulsion	4 × waterjets
Speed	35.0 knots (64.8 km/h; 40.3 mph) (service) 37.0 knots (68.5 km/h; 42.6 mph) (max)
Capacity	477 passengers 90 cars
Notes	Repowered in 2019 to replace original MAN B&W 18VP185 engines

Ramon Llull is a high-speed catamaran ferry built in 2003 by Rodriquez Cantieri Navali in Italy. Operating predominantly under the Spanish flag, she has spent most of her career connecting the Spanish mainland with the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Formentera. In March 2025, she was chartered to DFDS for operations in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Service

The ferry, the first of a series of two sister units, was launched on 26 October 2002 at the Rodriquez shipyards in Pietra Ligure with the name Ramon Llull and, after being completed in Messina, delivered on 9 May 2003 to Baleària. On 10 June it officially began service on the routes between Barcelona, Mahón and Alcudia. On 21 October, however, it was transferred to the routes between Algeciras and Tangier. In the 2004 summer season, from 1 June to 31 October, it operated again on the routes between Barcelona, Mahón and Alcudia. In November it was then transferred to the routes between Alcúdia and Ciutadella de Menorca. From December 2004 to June 2005 the ferry remained decommissioned due to mechanical problems with the engines.

In October 2006 it was transferred to the connections between Algeciras and Ceuta, where it operated for the following years, until the transfer to the connections between Dénia, Formentera and Ceuta, where it operated until 2024.

On April 12, 2022, it was announced that in order to improve eco-efficiency and reliability, Baleària is repowering the high-speed ferry Ramon Llull, which is the main vessel on its Dénia–Formentera route. This upgrade project will take place between mid-May and early June. While the vessel is out of service, the Jaume III will temporarily cover the connection.

Baleària's route between Dénia and Formentera is the sole direct maritime link connecting mainland Spain to Formentera. Since introducing the service in 2006 as a seasonal summer run, the company has steadily expanded the timetable and frequency to operate year-round. Customers consistently rate the service highly; the punctuality of the Ramon Llull holds an exceptional satisfaction score of 9.1, and the vessel remains highly regarded overall. Once the engine upgrades are complete, the Ramon Llull will return as the primary ferry for the Dénia–Formentera–Ibiza route.

In 2025, after a brief return to the Algeciras - Ceuta route on charter to DFDS as a replacement for the Jaume I and another short summer deployment between Dénia, Formentera and Ibiza, the ferry returned on 14 October to operate on the Alcúdia - Ciutadella de Menorca route, where it had been absent since 2006.