Fred Olsen Express
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Fred. Olsen Express is an inter-island
ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
service based in the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. It operates a fleet of six modern fast ferries on five routes. Its fleet includes a
trimaran A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recrea ...
fast ferry, the Benchijigua Express, which was the first such vehicle in the world when it entered service in 2005. The company is owned by the Olsen family-controlled Bonheur and Ganger Rolf, which among other things also owns the shipping companies Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and First Olsen Tankers.


History

Fred. Olsen Express was founded in 1974 as Ferry Gomera, S.A. The first sailing took place July 8, 1974, when a ferry set sail from the
Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gome ...
n capital of San Sebastian de La Gomera for the town of
Los Cristianos Los Cristianos is a town in Spain with a population of 21,235 (2017), situated on the south coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife. Located in the municipality of Arona, Tenerife, Arona between the cone of the mountain Chayofita and the greater mou ...
in
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
. The first ferry to operate the route was christened the ''Benchijigua'', which is named after a small village located in the south of
La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...
. It also was in keeping with a long tradition of Fred. Olsen which was that all name of the company's ships should begin with the letter B. Until this first sailing the island of
La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...
had practically been isolated and was only ever visited by a single boat which came to collect
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
s and
tomatoes The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from and was d ...
, that the island produced for
export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...
to Europe, and in return dropped off supplies for the island. It was the opening of this first route by Fred Olsen that really brought about changes for the Gomerans. The route between La Gomera and
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
initially operated three times a day in each direction and took 80 minutes, and was capable of handling 400 passengers and around 60 cars. As a gesture of goodwill a free coach was provided from Los Cristianos in the South of
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
to the capital
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...
. Five years after the launch of the service a new larger and faster ferry was added, the ''Bonanza''. The ship had previously been served with the company in Northern Europe, but was transferred to the Gomera route. Then again in 1989 still trading as Ferry Gomera the company introduced a route from
Los Cristianos Los Cristianos is a town in Spain with a population of 21,235 (2017), situated on the south coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife. Located in the municipality of Arona, Tenerife, Arona between the cone of the mountain Chayofita and the greater mou ...
to San Sebastian de La Gomera using a ferry named the ''SES Sant’ Agata'' (later the ''Gomera Express'') which was promoted as "fast and comfortable". The crossing took only 35 minutes. Also in 1989 a route was established between
Playa Blanca Playa Blanca (Spanish language, Spanish for "White Beach") is the southernmost town of the Spain, Spanish island of Lanzarote. It is the newest resort on the island, and is part of the municipality of Yaiza (municipality), Yaiza. Approximately ...
,
Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabi ...
and
Corralejo Corralejo () is a town and resort located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the smaller Lobos Island, islet of Lobos. It is in the municipality of La Oliva. It is surrounded to the north and east by the Atlan ...
,
Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, geographically part of Macaronesia, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the coast of North Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO i ...
which was operated by the ferry ''Betancuria''. The route had also carried nearly 900 patients as well as 20 additional critical emergency crossings. In 1994 Fred. Olsen signed a deal with the Canarian Postal Service to offer an on-board post office on board the Benchijigua Express. A fourth daily service was also added. The year 2000 saw the entry of the ''Benchijigua Express'' on the Gomera route. In 2005, a brand new trimaran, also named ''Benchijigua Express'' entered service on the Tenerife to La Gomera and Tenerife to La Palma route. The old ''Benchijigua Express'' was renamed ''Bentago Express'' and placed on the Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Gran Canaria route.


Fleet

The company currently operates six large fast ferries, all built by the two Australian companies that dominate the fast ferry market: three by
Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...
of Perth and the other three by
Incat Incat Tasmania is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built s ...
shipyards in Hobart. In addition, a smaller ferry operates locally on
La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...
.


''Benchijigua Express''

The HSC ''Benchijigua Express'' is a long fast
trimaran A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recrea ...
, operated by the company between
Los Cristianos Los Cristianos is a town in Spain with a population of 21,235 (2017), situated on the south coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife. Located in the municipality of Arona, Tenerife, Arona between the cone of the mountain Chayofita and the greater mou ...
in Tenerife, San Sebastián de La Gomera and Santa Cruz de La Palma. It was delivered to Olsen in April 2005 by Australian shipbuilding giant
Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...
.


''Bencomo Express'' and ''Bentago Express''

The HSC ''Bentago Express'' and HSC ''Bencomo Express'' are fast
catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...
s built by
Incat Incat Tasmania is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built s ...
in Hobart, Tasmania. Both were delivered to Olsen in the late 1990s / early 2000s. They are operated by the company between
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...
and
Agaete Agaete is a municipality of Las Palmas province, on the Canary Islands, Spain. Geography It is in the north-west of Gran Canaria island, and is enclosed by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Gáldar to the north-east, and Artenara to the south. ...
''(
Puerto de las Nieves Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...
)'' in Gran Canaria.


''Bocayna Express''

The HSC ''Bocayna Express'' is a fast catamaran, making it the smallest in the current fleet of inter-island ferries. It is operated by the company between
Playa Blanca Playa Blanca (Spanish language, Spanish for "White Beach") is the southernmost town of the Spain, Spanish island of Lanzarote. It is the newest resort on the island, and is part of the municipality of Yaiza (municipality), Yaiza. Approximately ...
in Lanzarote and
Corralejo Corralejo () is a town and resort located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the smaller Lobos Island, islet of Lobos. It is in the municipality of La Oliva. It is surrounded to the north and east by the Atlan ...
in Fuerteventura, across
La Bocayna La Bocayna or La Bocaina () is a sea strait that separates Lanzarote from Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. The island of Lobos Island, Lobos is situated on the southern side of the strait, close to Fuerteventura. In the 19th century, the stra ...
strait. The ferry has operated the 15-minute crossing since 2003 when it was delivered by Australian shipbuilder Austal. It is one of the three ferries in the fleet made by Austal.


''Bonanza Express''

The HSC ''Bonanza Express'' is a
Incat Incat Tasmania is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built s ...
fast catamaran, similar to the ''Bentago Express'' and the ''Bencomo Express'', operated by the company on the route between
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...
and
Arrecife Arrecife (; ; ) is the capital city and a municipality of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It was made the island's capital in 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef ("arrecife" being Spanish for "reef") which covers its local beach. It als ...
(Lanzarote). Introduced in 1999, it was the company's first fast ferry. The ''Bonanza Express'' was meant to be sold to Euroferries for a service between
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...
and
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...
, but the deal fell through and the ''Bonanza Express'' has found its way back with Fred. Olsen Express in the Canary Islands.


''Benchi Express''

The '' Benchi Express'' is a catamaran with a capacity of 250 passengers used locally on the island of
La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...
to connect the island's capital,
San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
, with
Playa Santiago Playa Santiago (also known as Playa de Santiago) is a small town on the south coast of the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. It is split between two municipalities, Alajeró and San Sebastian. The part within the municipality of Alajer ...
and
Valle Gran Rey Valle Gran Rey is a municipality in the western part of the island La Gomera, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. The Guanche name of the area was ''Orone''. The seat of the municipality since 1930 is La Caler ...
. It was launched in June 2017 at the Drassanes Dalmau shipyard in Barcelona. The previous ''Benchi Express'' was a catamaran delivered to Olsen in March 2009. Until January 2012, the ferry connected
Los Cristianos Los Cristianos is a town in Spain with a population of 21,235 (2017), situated on the south coast of the Canary Island of Tenerife. Located in the municipality of Arona, Tenerife, Arona between the cone of the mountain Chayofita and the greater mou ...
in Tenerife with San Sebastián de la Gomera, then going on to connect
Playa Santiago Playa Santiago (also known as Playa de Santiago) is a small town on the south coast of the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. It is split between two municipalities, Alajeró and San Sebastian. The part within the municipality of Alajer ...
and
Valle Gran Rey Valle Gran Rey is a municipality in the western part of the island La Gomera, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. The Guanche name of the area was ''Orone''. The seat of the municipality since 1930 is La Caler ...
, both in La Gomera. The service came about following the collapse of Garajonay Express. The main crossing took 55 minutes from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián. The ferry was acquired from Italian operator
SNAV SNAV (Società Navigazione Alta Velocità) is an Italian company that operates ferry services from Italy to Sardinia, Croatia and Sicily. Routes SNAV operates a large network of routes across the Mediterranean and Adriatic. *Naples - Palermo ...
. The ship was previously called SNAV ''Aquila''.


''Betancuria Express''

The HSC ''Betancuria Express'' was the world's largest high speed catamaran when it was launched, and is used by Fred. Olsen Express on the route connecting
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...
with the port of Morro Jable in
Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, geographically part of Macaronesia, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the coast of North Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO i ...
. The company bought the
Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...
ferry in April 2017; it was previously named HSC ''Leonora Christina'' and operated between Denmark and Sweden. After a charter back contract expired on 31 August 2018, the ship was renamed ''Betancuria Express'' and operates from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.


Two new 117-metre trimarans

In October 2017, five months after its competitor
Naviera Armas Naviera Armas is a Spanish company, founded in the 1940s, which operates a number of ferry services in Spain. The company mainly operates in the Canary Islands, with additional routes connecting the Canary Islands and the north African coast to ...
announced the order of ''
Volcán de Tagoro Volcan or Volcán may refer to: Places *Volcán, Panama, town in Panama *Volcán (Jujuy), town in Argentina Other uses *Volcan (mining company), Peruvian mining company *Volcán River, Chile *Volcán Lake, Bolivia *Volcán (album), a 1978 album b ...
'', a 10,800 GT, 1,200 passenger
Incat Incat Tasmania is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built s ...
fast catamaran ferry for the Canaries at a price of €74 million, Fred. Olsen Express responded by ordering two
trimaran A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recrea ...
s from the Australian shipbuilder
Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...
at a price of €126 million. Each of the ships will have a capacity of 1,100 passengers and 276 cars and will be capable of reaching speeds of up to . The new ships will be named ''Bajamar Express'' and ''Bañaderos Express''.


''Barlovento Express''

On the 28th November 2024, Fred. Olsen announced the addition of the Barlovento Express from Liberty Lines, to operate the Las Palmas-Morrojable line. It formerly operated for Trasmediterránea as ''Ciudad de Ceuta'' and ''Millenium Dos''. It was built in 2003, construction 058 from Australian shipyard
Incat Incat Tasmania is an Australian manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built s ...
.


Fleet table


Lineas Fred. Olsen

The following ships have operated previously for Fred Olsen Express. * HSC Bonanza Express * HSC Benchi Express * Ferry Betancuria * Ferry Buganvilla * Ferry Barlovento * Ferry Betancuria * Ferry Benchijigua * Ferry Gomera * Bahia Express The company had many old slow ferries, but decided to revamp in 2000. This meant that most of the old ferries were sold on, being replaced by High Speed Catamarans and a new High Speed Trimaran. Image:Benchi Express Los Christianos.JPG, Benchi Express Image:Barlovento en La Palma.jpg, Ferry Barlovento Image:Benchijigua Express_IMO 9299056_F_San Sebastian_02-12-2024 (5).jpg, Benchijigua Express Image:Banaderos Express_IMO 9874301_F_Santa Cruz de Tenerife_30-11-2024 (1).jpg, Banaderos Express Image:Bencomo Express_IMO 9206712_F_Santa Cruz de la Palma_03-12-2024 (1).jpg, Bencomo Express Image:Bentago Express_IMO 9213337_F_Las Palmas_24-02-2023.jpg, Bentago Express Image:Barlovento Express_IMO 9237644_F_Las Palmas_09-02-2025.jpg, Barlovento Express Image:Benchi Express_IMO 9832236_F_San Sebastian_02-12-2024 (1).jpg, Benchi Express (2017)


Incidents and accidents

The Bonanza Express ran aground in early December 2008. All 175 passengers were evacuated safely. It lost control when entering the port of Los Cristianos. The ship suffered substantial damage, but was not in danger of sinking, Fred Olsen general director Juan Ramsden said. The reason for the accident appeared to be linked to a failure of the ferry's reverse system, according to Ramsden. The ferry leaked up to three tons of fuel. The presence of cars on the deck slowed down attempts to take it to a shipyard for repairs. The Bonanza Express was planned to be in operation with Euroferries on a route between
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...
and
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...
. However, although this service from Ramsgate to Boulogne was still due to start on 1 March 2010 after many delays, the Bonanza Express is now back with Fred Olsen, having been seen on the Los Cristianos webcam.


References


External links


Fred. Olsen Express — official site



Fred. Olsen Express — HSC information page
{{Fred. Olsen Ferry companies of Spain Fred. Olsen & Co. Transport in the Canary Islands Companies of the Canary Islands Transport in Tenerife 1974 establishments in Spain