BAHIA CARGO (ex. FINNHAWK) thus joins the work that its sister ship, BENTAYGA CARGO (ex. FINNKRAFT), has been carrying out since May between Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, complementing the circuit by linking these islands with Tenerife on a daily basis. However, although it has recently joined the fleet, this is not the first time that BAHIA CARGO has sailed in Canary waters, as in the last week it has been replacing BENTAYGA CARGO during its mandatory technical stop.

Fred. Olsen Express fleet manager Juan Ignacio Liaño points out that “our commitment to this freight transport service in the archipelago and its continuity is firm. With the purchase and commissioning of these two vessels, exclusively intended to cover the route, we are not only meeting the schedule and offering that we announced in March of this year, we are also investing in the future and ensuring connectivity and supply on the islands.”

“Due to the characteristics of our territory, maritime connectivity becomes essential for the transport of goods, something that is confirmed by the results obtained in the first months of the service, with figures that exceeded our expectations. Now, more than ever, we can ensure the consolidation of this project," concludes Liaño.

This new ro-ro essel has a loading capacity of over 1,800 lane metres. It is also over 160 metres long, has two transverse propellers for manoeuvring and a maximum speed of 20 knots. Like its sister ship, the BENTAYGA CARGO, it is prepared to transport different types of merchandise, including dry goods, those requiring temperature control, dangerous goods or those considered special due to being larger or heavier than standard; as well as coupled or uncoupled cargo units. Furthermore, with this service, customers have the possibility of leaving their merchandise in one port and picking it up directly in another.

Fred. Olsen transports an annual average of 1,300,000 lane metres of cargo. Between January and October of this year, coinciding with the launch of the new service, it has transported 10% more lane metres of cargo than in the same period in 2023, a total of 1,100,000 lane metres. This translates into more than 788,000 tonnes of goods, 18% more than the previous year, corresponding to food products, parcels, packaging, glass, textiles and dangerous goods, among others.

According to Jesús Dionis, head of the Fred. Olsen Express cargo department, “The increase in the number of goods transported in recent months is evidence of the good reception that our new cargo service is having. The incorporation of the second ship allows us to meet the needs that clients and authorities have shared with us, offering cargo itineraries that integrate Tenerife into this connection.” He also pointed out that “from the shipping company we would like to thank the Sociedad de Estiba for its collaboration since, after the agreement reached, the stevedores are in charge of carrying out the operations in the four ports of the route.”

© Shippax