High speed crafts in the Canary Islands

Abstract

For the Canary Islands, the sea is a path of obligatory use and on whose dependence the economic development of the inhabitants of the Archipelago, has been based. The problems of inter-insular maritime transport has been, and continues to be, a constant and growing worry up to the present moment, given the almost zero cargo capacity of the aeroplanes that render their services in the islands.

The boats that connect the islands have changed throughout the years, and these changes have been conditioned, in great part, by the special circumstances surrounding navigation in our waters: islands situated in open sea, exposed to all types of weather; particular meteorological conditions; swell; port infrastructures, etc. These circumstances have made the islands be a true bank of trials for the main types of HSC: hydrofoils, air cushion vehicles, high-speed mono-hull crafts, SES, jet-foils and catamarans, all which have navigated and run different luck. Today, there are three companies operating high speed crafts in the islands: Fred Olsen with five big catamarans, Trasmediterránea with two jet-foils and Garajonay Express with two smaller catamarans.