This August saw the formal ceremony marking the integration of the logistics business, staged by Baleària Canarias together with Hermes Logística (Trasmediterránea Logística, formerly Acciona Logística) and the historic Transportes Intercanarios, owned by the Armas Mead family, the former owners of Naviera Armas. Under a single umbrella, the companies are launching a decisive milestone in the vertical integration of the supply chain in the Canary Islands. No commercial agreement has been established with the companies mentioned in preparing this report, in line with Canarymaritime’s commitment not to mix news and advertising.
The move goes beyond a simple commercial partnership and consolidates a model in which inter-island maritime transport and overland distribution operate under a single integrated vision, optimizing connectivity between the islands, mainland Spain, Europe and North Africa.
Beyond the corporate integration, the move represents the reorganization of one of the sector’s most turbulent assets: former Acciona Logística, the land-based arm of the legendary Trasmediterránea owned by the Entrencanales family, which was acquired by the Armas family as part of the shipping company’s purchase process, but whose financial burdens and operations became embroiled in a complex saga of missed payments and disputes over control of the assets.
Under the Hermes Logística brand, the group’s land-based subsidiary has preserved its market value thanks to a longstanding specialization in temperature-controlled transport. It was precisely the achievement of the prestigious IFS Logistics certification (International Featured Standard Logistics)—a pioneering accomplishment at its main hubs in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Picassent (Valencia)—that placed the company at the forefront of food safety in Spain. This certification, required by major European retail chains to audit traceability and the cold chain for full truckload (FTL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments, has been the operational lifeline that has allowed Hermes Logística to retain its commercial appeal despite the financial turbulence affecting its former owners.
Integration into the Baleària Canarias ecosystem now allows this asset to be unlocked and combined with the local land-based strength of Transportes Intercanarios. The addition of the Canary Islands company brings more than 60 professionals and a deployment of over 500 transport units, including tractor units, trailers and port equipment, with a direct presence in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
To support this operating volume and guarantee IFS standards, the Trasmediterránea Logística fleet includes more than 100 refrigerated semi-trailers built by Lecitrailer and equipped with Thermo King (A400) and Carrier (HE17 and HE19) single- and multi-temperature refrigeration technology. With this step, Baleària not only ensures maritime connectivity between the islands and with mainland Spain and North Africa, but also takes control of the onshore supply chain, relying on the technical infrastructure that once belonged to Acciona’s network.
The article “Utor (Baleària) closes the loop, adding the former Acciona Logística fleet in the Canary Islands” was first published on canarymaritime.com.
