Fred Olsen Express announces new ‘mini-ferry’ for short routes

Fred Olsen Express has announced that they are going to incorporate a newly designed and built ‘mini-ferry’ into their fleet, with the option of a second one, which is only for foot passengers without a vehicle on routes focused on “excursion and leisure tourism” such as hikers.

The manufacture, which will take around 10 months and will begin this month, is being carried out by the Rodman shipyard in Vigo in mainland Spain. The first of these new ferries, with a capacity for 250 passengers, is expected to be operational from April next year.

The new boat has been designed exclusively with the transfer of leisure passengers in mind, without a vehicle, and they currently offer this service on two of its maritime lines.

One is the connection between Playa Blanca in Lanzarote, and Corralejo in Fuerteventura, where this new model was incorporated a year ago. Since then, the route has experienced a growth of more than 40% in passengers compared to the previous year.

The other is on the coastal route of La Gomera, which links the southern towns of Valle Gran Rey, Playa Santiago and San Sebastián. This connection was resumed in July 2022, after being inactive during the pandemic due to the drop in tourism, and since its reactivation, more than 33,000 passengers have enjoyed it.

Fred Olsen’s fleet manager, Juan Ignacio Liaño, said "this newly built ship is the result of our firm commitment to offer our passengers the best experience in all their trips, with the comfort and quality that characterize us. We have decided to bet on the manufacture of this new ‘mini-ferry’ to meet the growing demand of tourists, and residents of the Canary Islands, who decide to take day trips to visit the other islands during their visit to the archipelago.”

"With this investment the company reaffirms its intention to remain at the forefront of the sector, promoting  tourism, economic and social revitalization from Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Gomera, allowing us the possibility of considering new routes to incorporate this type of service”.

Fred Olsen will invest 3.5 million euros in the manufacture of each of these boats, which will be known as a Rodman R80. They will have two Caterpillar C32 engines, with a power of 1,081 KW and a maximum speed of 20 knots, similar to those of the "Benchi Express".

In addition, they will have an indoor and outdoor deck, which is in high demand among tourists, as well as a bar-cafeteria service.