Further growth for La Gomera's main port

Cruise ship 'Mein Schiff 4' with close to 2800 passengers in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera yesterday

Latest statistics show further growth in both freight and passenger numbers passing through the port of La Gomera's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera. Freight handling has increased by 11,5% and passenger numbers were 6% more than during the same period last year. It is expected that more than 1,3 million passengers will have passed through the port by the end of 2017. What isn't clear from these figures is whether passengers travelling to and from the island of La Palma are counted or not. They do spend time in the port of La Gomera in large numbers and are included in the docking ferries' passenger numbers, but they don't disembark during the brief stopover.

Goliath and David

The 100.000 ton 2800 passenger cruise ship Mein Schiff 4 and the three-masted sail training barque Picton Castle in the harbour of San Sebastian de La Gomera on Saturday morning. The latter was leaving La Gomera for Dakar in Senegal after a longer stay in La Gomera while the brand new cruise ship was on her fortnightly 11hr call.

Cruise ship season 2015-16 has begun

The huge 'Mein Schiff 4' in San Sebastian de La Gomera yesterday morning.
The 2.500 passengers were welcomed with Canarian folk music (on left)

This winter's cruise ship season began yesterday with the arrival of the TUI-owned 'Mein Schiff 4' in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera. Many more will be calling over the next few months, among them the similarly large 'Thomson Majesty' and the sailing vessel 'Sea Cloud'. The former is also scheduled to berth in the harbour of Valle Gran Rey a few times this winter.

Largest cruise ship to visit La Gomera this season

'Mein Schiff 3' in the harbour of San Sebastian on Friday...

The newly-built Mein Schiff 3, owned and operated by TUI cruises, visited the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera again last Friday. She's about 900 ft long, 105 ft wide and can accommodate 2.500 passengers plus 1.000 crew on her 15 decks. 

It has now emerged that next year her almost identical sister ship Mein Schiff 4 which is nearing completion at a Finnish shipyard will also include Ls Gomera in her winter 2015/16 cruising schedule.

...and leaving for Lanzarote at 6pm