Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, geographically part of Macaronesia, and politically part of Spain. It is located 97 km (60 mi) away from the coast of North Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2009.
Lanzarote is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, 125 kilometres off the north coast of Africa and 1,000 kilometres from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.92 square kilometres, Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 158,798 inhabitants at the start of 2023, it is the third most populous Canary Island, after Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Located in the centre-west of the island is Timanfaya National Park, one of its main attractions. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1993. The island's capital is Arrecife, which lies on the eastern coastline. It is the smaller main island of the Province of Las Palmas.
A trimaran is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreation or racing; others are ferries or warships. They originated from the traditional double-outrigger hulls of the Austronesian cultures of Maritime Southeast Asia; particularly in the Philippines and Eastern Indonesia, where it remains the dominant hull design of traditional fishing boats. Double-outriggers are derived from the older catamaran and single-outrigger boat designs.
Fred. Olsen Express is an inter-island ferry service based in the Canary Islands, Spain. It operates a fleet of six modern fast ferries on five routes. Its fleet includes a trimaran 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.
Corralejo is a town and resort located on the northern tip of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, facing the smaller islet of Lobos. It is in the municipality of La Oliva.
MS Black Watch was a Royal Viking Star-class cruise ship. She was built by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland for Royal Viking Line as Royal Viking Star, entering service in 1972 as the lines first ship. She has also sailed for Norwegian Cruise Lines as Westward and Royal Cruise Line as Star Odyssey. As of June 18, 2022 she has been beached for scrapping as Odin at Alang, India.
Balmoral is a cruise ship owned and operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. She was built in 1988 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany, as Crown Odyssey for Royal Cruise Line. She has also sailed for the Norwegian Cruise Line as Norwegian Crown and Orient Lines as Crown Odyssey. In 2007–2008 she was lengthened by 30 m (98 ft) at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg prior to entering service with her current operator.
Playa Blanca is the southernmost town of the Spanish island of Lanzarote. It is the newest resort on the island, and is part of the municipality of Yaiza.
Benchijigua Express is a fast ferry, operated by Fred. Olsen Express between the Canary Islands, Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma in the Atlantic Ocean. She was delivered in April 2005. At 127 metres (417 ft) long, the ferry is the second-longest trimaran in the world, less than a metre shy of the Independence class littoral combat ship, which was based on Benchijigua Express's design. Her body is made of aluminium with a special offshore coating, and is the second-largest vessel with an aluminium hull. The ship's name, derived from the village of Benchijigua on La Gomera where Fredrik Olsen had property, was previously used twice since 1999.
The SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation, commonly known as SuperCat, is a shipping company that operates a fleet of high-speed catamarans (HSC) in the Philippines.
The Betancuria Express is a fast passenger and vehicle ferry operated by the Canary Islands ferry company Fred. Olsen Express on the route between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. It was built in 2011 by Austal in Perth, Western Australia as the Leonora Christina for BornholmerFærgen.
Valemax ships are a fleet of very large ore carriers (VLOC) owned or chartered by the Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. to carry iron ore from Brazil to European and Asian ports. With a capacity ranging from 380,000 to 400,000 tons deadweight, the vessels meet the Chinamax standard of ship measurements for limits on draft and beam. Valemax ships are the largest bulk carriers ever constructed, when measuring deadweight tonnage or length overall, and are amongst the longest ships of any type currently in service.
S. A. Agulhas II is a South African icebreaking polar supply and research ship owned by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. She was built in 2012 by STX Finland Rauma shipyard in Rauma, Finland, to replace the ageing S. A. Agulhas, which was retired from Antarctic service in April 2012. Unlike her predecessor, S. A. Agulhas II was designed from the beginning to carry out both scientific research and supply South African research stations in the Antarctic.
La Bocayna or La Bocaina is a sea strait that separates Lanzarote from Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. The island of Lobos is situated on the southern side of the strait, close to Fuerteventura.
RS Mistral is a container ship owned by Romy Shipping and operated by AS Myklebusthaug Management AS. The 127-metre (417 ft) long ship was built at Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik Cassens GmbH in Emden, Germany in 1999 as Westersingel. Originally owned by CV Scheepvaartonderneming Westersingel, she has had three owners, been registered under three flags, and been renamed eight times.
Benchi Express is a catamaran ferry operated by the Spanish-Norwegian shipping company Fred. Olsen Express for local transport connecting ports on the island of La Gomera. It was delivered to Fred. Olsen in September 2017 and has been operating the route between the towns of San Sebastián de La Gomera, Playa Santiago and Valle Gran Rey since then. The ship was purpose-built for this route by Drassanes Dalmau, based in Arenys de Mar (Barcelona).
Volcán de Tagoro is a catamaran fast ferry operated by the Spanish shipping company Naviera Armas between the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship's construction was completed in July 2019 and it commenced operations a month later, joining the two Canarian capitals, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in just over an hour and a half. The short journey time not only gives Armas a competitive edge in sea transport between the two islands, but also allows it to compete with flights.
Volcán de Tindaya is a roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry operated by the Spanish shipping company Naviera Armas between the Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in the Atlantic Ocean. It was built and delivered to Armas in 2003 and has been operating the route between the towns of Corralejo (Fuerteventura) and Playa Blanca (Lanzarote) since then. The ship is named after the Tindaya mountain on Fuerteventura.
MV or HSCMaria Dolores is a high-speed catamaran ferry owned by Virtu Ferries. It was built by Austal in 2005–06, entering service as a ferry between Malta and Sicily in March 2006. The vessel soon became too small to allow for the increasing passenger and cargo traffic on this route, and in October 2010 it was replaced by the larger catamaran MV Jean de La Valette.
The 118 metre trimaran is a class of high speed trimaran ferries designed and built by Australian shipbuilder Austal for the Canary Islands operator Fred. Olsen Express. Two ships of the design were ordered in 2017 for delivery in 2020 and 2021.
Spain