Economic and operational figures confirm the success of the logistics segregation and specialisation strategy launched by shipping group Fred Olsen, owned by Bonheur ASA, in the Mid-Atlantic. The growth in the volume of goods handled is directly linked to the entry into service of the Breñas Cargo vessel in July 2025.
The Ro-Ro type vessel, with a capacity for 1,500 linear metres of cargo and 7,000 tonnes, has just completed its first year of operations by fully integrating into the inter-island network. This announcement is not the result of any commercial agreement with the parties mentioned, following the promise to its readers of Canarymaritime.
Rolled cargo business is part of an investment plan inside Bonheur’s corporate structure
The formalisation of rolled cargo within Bonheur’s corporate structure responds to an investment plan designed to capture rising demand for transporting dry products, cold goods and special-dimension loads. The specialised division streamlines operations the group has historically carried out in the holds of its passenger vessels, while also safeguarding the supply of critical inputs between islands.
The introduction of Breñas Cargo strengthens the group’s dedicated cargo fleet, which has included since 2024 the Ro-Ro ships Bentayga Cargo and Bahía Cargo. This enables the shipowner to map out a more predictable route network in terms of turnaround times and asset management.
Three dedicated ships enable a regular network with direct inter-island connections
The availability of three vessels devoted exclusively to freight traffic has allowed Bonheur to structure a regular service that includes three weekly rotations on the route between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Santa Cruz de La Palma, completing the crossing in six hours. The service provides a direct link between La Palma and the logistics hubs of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, as well as with the Iberian Peninsula via the maritime route through the port of Huelva.
From an operational standpoint, the commercial offer allows units to be shipped both coupled and uncoupled, enabling distribution companies to optimise their fleets of tractor units and drivers by removing the need for personnel on board during crossings.
Breñas Cargo improves punctuality and supply reliability, Fred Olsen Express says
Fred Olsen Express fleet director Juan Ignacio Liaño says the deployment of Breñas Cargo has been a strategic component to ensure punctuality and reliability in supplying essential goods across the archipelago. Among the most in-demand items in the fleet’s holds are mass consumer goods, with water in bottles carrying particular weight, as well as food, beverages and soft drinks, beer, textile products and general industrial parcels.
The group currently operates a broad inter-island network
The group’s connection map currently covers seven inter-island maritime lines, a coastal route in La Gomera, and a peninsular coastal service linking Gran Canaria and Tenerife with Huelva. With an annual average of 22,500 trips, Bonheur moves more than 4 million passengers, 80,000 pets, 1.1 million tourist vehicles and 1.6 million linear metres of commercial cargo—equivalent to around 138,600 heavy vehicles.
Over the course of its history, more than 93 million users have used the shipowner’s services. It currently incorporates environmental sustainability criteria through the corporate programme ‘En Armonía con el Mar’, aimed at reducing the operational impact of its fleet on the surrounding insular marine environment.
The piece “Bonheur tops one million tonnes and 140,000 linear metres of cargo moved in two years in the Canary Islands” was first published on canarymaritime.com.
