The port of Valle Gran Rey

The port of Valle Gran Rey situated in Vueltas handled about 158.000 passengers in 2018, most them using the new high speed car ferry service introduced by Naviera Armas towards the end of 2017 and the smaller Fred. Olsen passenger ferry which arrived in the autumn of 2017. The latter also sails to La Gomera's southern port of Playa de Santiago which handled almost 41.000 passengers in 2018. I took the above image of Vueltas ln late December 2017 when a small luxury cruise ship passed by at sunset.

Fred Olsen now offering service to Spanish mainland

The Fred. Olsen ferry company is now connecting the Canary Islands with Huelva on the Spanish mainland in competition with FRS-Iberica which sail the same route, previously operated by Naviera Armas ferries and still listed in their schedule. Queenie's Tenerife blog has more:

''Fred Olsen Express has launched a new triangular route to mainland Spain, with the collaboration of the Baleària shipping company and now links the port of Huelva with the two main ports of the Canary Islands, Puerto de la Luz on Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

This new route will be operated aboard the ship ‘Martín i Soler’, owned by Baleària. The ship is to depart the Puerto de la Luz, in Las Palmas, every Tuesday and Sunday, at 12 noon and will take 44 hours to reach its final destination the Andalusian port of Huelva, after a 4-hour stopover in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The ship will set sail from the Peninsula on Fridays at 8:00p.m. and head to Gran Canaria where it will have a four-hour stopover then return to its moorings in Tenerife.

The route will offer various services including a restaurant, bar, shop, internet connection, outdoor areas, a children’s area and a pool as well as cabins and various seating options either tourist or superior.''

Rough seas this weekend

Warnings have been issued of a strong swell and high waves to affect the Canary Islands. For La Gomera a level yellow warning of waves of 4-5 metres begins on Saturday, Nov. 17th 2018, at 6pm and extends until early Monday morning. An additional level orange warning of waves of 5-6 metres is valid from 9pm Saturday until Sunday afternoon 3pm. The swell is coming from a north-westerly direction and it is advisable to stay away from exposed coasts. Please be aware that the rough seas may disrupt ferry schedules and cruise ship itineraries.

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.

Passenger numbers increase

The port of San Sebastian de La Gomera

The port of San Sebastian de La Gomera recorded 1,3 million passenger movements in 2016, an increase of 6,6 %, while total traffic figures were up by 4 %. Almost 90.000 of the passengers representing an 15,8 % increase came aboard cruise ships during 74 visits by such vessels.

The movement of goods and merchandise through the port showed a 4,8 % higher number than in 2015 with over 150.000 tons processed through the port's facilities while the amount of bulk materials and liquids increased by 6,3 % last year, representing an additional 25.000 tons.

And just to bore you stiff with more statistics, La Gomera's main port handled a total of 2.870 vessels berthing there last year. 

All impressive figures for a small island with a population of just 20.000 !

Ferry schedules for holiday season

There will be a revised ferry schedule operating over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The most important changes are on Christmas Day and on New Year's Day when both ferry companies Fred. Olsen and Naviera Armas will operate only one crossing between Los Cristianos on Tenerife and San Sebastian de La Gomera and only one return journey on this route, and all those sailings have evening departures. Intending passengers over the busy holiday period are advised to book in advance and to check ferry times. For direct links to ferry schedules and bookings in English you can go to my TRAVEL page.

Modified ferry schedule until end of February 2016

The 'Volcan de Taburiente' in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera

The timetable for sailings by the Naviera Armas ferry company between Los Cristianos in Tenerife and the islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma has been modified until the end of the month. Their ro-ro ship Volcan de Taburiente is currently out of service and is being substituted by two other Armas ferries. 

Intending passengers should check current timetables.

Cafeteria shipshape in ship-shaped ferry terminal

Los Cristianos ferry terminal, built in the form of a ship

The refurbished bright interior

Good news for travellers to an from the western Canary Islands of La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera: The cafeteria in the ferry terminal on the pier in Los Cristianos on Tenerife has reopened under new management this week. The upstairs facility had been closed for a long time and it was a fairly long walk to the nearest bar or cafe in the port to get any food or drink. Now the refurbished bright interior with its long self-sevice counter and the large terraces overlooking the harbour once again provide sustenance and rest for weary travellers while watching life in the busy harbour. 

Meanwhile the cafeteria in the ferry terminal of San Sebastian de La Gomera is still closed, but the rental contract has been awarded to new management by the authorities (the terminals are public buildings) and it is expected to reopen soon as well.

The upstairs entrance. Photo taken early in the morning just after opening

Left and above: The ample terraces

Ships in San Sebastian de La Gomera harbour

The two large ferries being dwarfed by yet another visit of a huge cruise ship last evening in the harbour of San Sebastian de La Gomera:

The Russian Shtandart was in the harbour, too

Below the huge TUI cruise ship Mein Schiff 1:

Shipping confusion at four ports in Canary Islands

There was a lot of confusion in the port of San Sebastian de La Gomera and to a lesser degree in the harbours of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera, Los Cristianos on Tenerife and Santa Cruz de La Palma over the past couple of days. 

San Sebastian de La Gomera

First, the medium-sized (about 1000 passengers and crew) Malta-registered cruise ship Saga Sapphire docked in San Sebastian on Saturday instead of Santa Cruz de La Palma where it should have been according to the Saga Cruises programme for its mainly British passengers. This ship then was to dock in Valle Gran Rey's harbour on Sunday on its way back from the island of La Palma, but it remained in San Sebastian all day Sunday, leaving expectant V.G.R. wondering. In San Sebastian, meanwhile, the scheduled visit by the Balmoral, operated by Fred. Olsen Cruises, with about 1700 passengers and crew couldn't come into the harbour due to the cruise ship berth being occupied by the Saga Sapphire. The Balmoral went on to Santa Cruz de La Palma instead (probably taking the berth left vacant there by the Saga Sapphire) and then further on to Funchal,Madeira.

Part of San Sebastian pier
from the deck of the Armas
ferry Volcan de Taburiente

Next there were problems with Sunday's last ferry sailing by Naviera Armas. Their ship Volcan de Taburiente left Los Cristianos on the last scheduled sailing early Sunday night, but had to return to said port about a quarter of an hour later due to 'technical problems', which according to some reports concerned the doors of the vehicle decks of the ro-ro ferry. Back in Los Cristianos port passengers were told over the public address system that the sailing was suspended and because it was already getting late many passengers left the vessel. However, at about 11:30 pm the technical problem was repaired and the vessel left for La Gomera with remaining passengers to arrive in San Sebastian at about 00:30 am, leaving lots of those behind who had decided earlier to temporarily disembark.

Now back to the saga of the Saga Sapphire: This cruise ship was still in the same port early on Monday morning which, according to some crew members, was 'due to poor weather', but the weather was reasonably fair, and locally those 'in the know' said it was a failure of the side-thrusters - needed to propel a large motor vessel off the pier against the wind or current). The captain was quoted in some media reports as having asked for a tug, which La Gomera doesn't have and no visiting cruise ship even in the worst weather conditions ever needed here. 
At the same time another cruise ship, the Bermuda-registered Aurora, was sailing for a scheduled stop-over at San Sebastian de La Gomera with about 2500 passengers and crew aboard, and on coming closer to La Gomera this vessel had to resolve to to sail in ever widening circles off San Sebastian while waiting for the Saga Sapphire to vacate the cruise ship berth in the harbour. Meanwhile a good number of buses, tour guides, taxis, car rental reps, etc., were waiting on the pier for a long time, ready for the Aurora's pre-booked passengers. 

At lunchtime the berth was still blocked and the Aurora decided to wait no longer and sail on, bound for Funchal on Madeira. The larger cruise ship had barely rounded La Gomera's northern point when the Saga Sapphire finally left and vacated the berth, also bound for… you've guessed it - Madeira. This left La  Gomera free of all cruise ships for the remainder of yesterday and ready for the scheduled berthing of the Italian-registered Aida Vita cruise ship with about 1500 passengers and crew this morning. Keep the fingers crossed !
All  these cruise ships originally came here from Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, by the way.
I wonder who'll be claiming what of whom for the above chain of events...

Tour buses waiting a long time in vain for the Aurora on the pier of La Gomera's capital © gomeranoticias.com