Fred. Olsen Express presented this Thursday at the 'International Tourism Fair of Madrid' (FITUR) its new mini-ferry for excursions. The shipping company has announced to authorities of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote the ship 'Buganvilla Express', with which it wants to contribute to "promote" short tourist visits between the two islands. This new vessel seeks to offer a comfortable and fast travel mode, which consolidates the passenger transport model without a vehicle since its launch in April 2022.
The presentation ceremony held this morning at the Canary Islands stand at 'Fitur' was attended by the president of the Cabildo and Tourism Councilor of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort; the CEO of Tourism of Lanzarote, Héctor Fernández; the island councilor delegate of Tourism, Blue Economy and Biosphere Reserve, Marlene Figueroa; the president and councilor of Food Sovereignty, Dolores Alicia García Martínez; the mayor of the Puerto del Rosario city council, David de Vera Cabrera; the first deputy mayor and councilor of Sports, Tourism, Education, Transport and Economic Heritage of the Puerto del Rosario city council, Domingo Juan Jiménez González and the mayor of Tuineje, Candelaria Umpiérrez.
On behalf of the shipping company, the director of the Fred. Olsen Express fleet, Juan Ignacio Liaño, attended; the head of marketing and communication, Marina González; the head of the commercial department, Lorenzo Spinelli and the head of travel agencies, Joan Padilla.
In the meeting with the authorities, the shipping company has revealed the characteristics of the new catamaran that it is building together with the Rodman shipyard and that will have capacity for 250 passengers. The ship will come into operation before this summer, to unite Lanzarote and Fuerteventura between Playa Blanca and Corralejo, respectively.
The director of the Fred. Olsen Express fleet, Juan Ignacio Liaño, points out that "this new ship that we have built together with Rodman highlights the work we have been developing for years to meet the demand for excursion tourism, which consists of the transfer of passengers without a vehicle. A model for which we are going to allocate a ship developed with the best technology, which allows us to offer a sustainable and quality service."
With the incorporation of the new 'Buganvilla Express', Fred. Olsen Express increases its fleet with the vocation of maintaining its highest quality service and leadership in Canary maritime transport. In addition, it consolidates its model of short-duration trips focused on enhancing the attractiveness of the combined tourist offer between islands, through short excursions, without a vehicle, and accessible to all audiences. As every year, Fred. Olsen Express comes to 'Fitur' with the aim of publicizing its latest developments and promoting tourism and connectivity between the archipelago in order to favor the quality and frequency of travel.
About Fred. Olsen Express
Fred. Olsen Express celebrates 50 years connecting the Canary Islands by sea. The shipping company began its journey in 1974 with the first Ferry Gomera between San Sebastián de La Gomera and Los Cristianos, in Tenerife. Since then, it has maintained its commitment to the development of maritime transport in the Archipelago, through a service offered by state-of-the-art ships and based on comfort, speed and flexibility.
Faithful to its vocation of generating wealth among the Canarian community, the shipping company has a human team of about 1,000 people. Currently, it operates through five maritime lines. Since 2018, it has also connected the Archipelago with the Iberian Peninsula through the connection of Gran Canaria and Tenerife with Huelva.
Fred. Olsen Express is a leader in the inter-island market. It makes an average of 22,000 trips a year, and annually transports more than 3.5 million people, more than 63,000 pets, around one million cars and around 1,300,000 linear meters of cargo, that is, about 100,000 vehicles for the transport of goods. Since its origin, more than 80 million passengers have trusted the company.
In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Canary Islands Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, through its 'In Harmony with the Sea' program, Fred.Olsen Express applies innovation in all its processes to minimize its footprint on the environment.
The shipping company has accessibility among its priorities. In 2022, it was the first to obtain AENOR's Universal Accessibility certification, extended in 2023 to its entire fleet and facilities.
