On Monday, May 6th, the christening and sponsorship ceremony of Fred. Olsen Express’ new catamaran took place at the Rodman Polyships shipyard in Meira, Pontevedra. This Rodman 80 model boat, named Buganvilla Express, was successfully launched and sponsored by Beatriz Blasco Herrera, marking the completion of its final assembly and construction phase.
The event was attended by Fred. Olsen S.A.’s CEO, Andrés Marín; Fred. Olsen Express’ fleet director, Juan Ignacio Liaño; the technical department head, Iván Fernández; the onboard services manager, Erik Lehmann; and the security manager, Mario Torres. Representing the shipyard were its president, Manuel Rodríguez; vice president and CEO, Oscar Rodríguez; international expansion director, Silvia Rodríguez; technical director, Raimundo Tapia; commercial director, Gonzalo Torres; production director, Ricardo Rodríguez; and marketing director, María Herrero.
Also in attendance were high-ranking officials from the General Directorate of Merchant Marine and the Maritime Captaincies of Vigo and La Coruña, specifically the Deputy Director General of the Merchant Marine Directorate, José Cebrián; the Vigo maritime captain, Manuel Ángel García; and the La Coruña maritime captain, Gonzalo Guillén.
Bougainvillea Express Launch / La Provincia.
According to Fred. Olsen S.A.’s CEO, Andrés Marín, “this ceremony culminates the construction process carried out by Rodman, in collaboration with our shipping company’s technical team. Once the final testing phase is completed, the Buganvilla Express will start operating between the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in June”.
From Rodman, their president, Manuel Rodríguez, expressed gratitude to the shipping company for their trust and satisfaction with the successful christening ceremony. He stated, “the construction process is meeting the initial expectations set by Fred. Olsen Express and our shipyard’s quality standards. Following the launch, we will begin the final phase of adjustments, quality control, and sea trials, where we hope the vessel will meet the estimated performance, exceeding the initial expectations”.
Technical specifications of the Buganvilla Express
[–>
The new Rodman 80, with a length of 26 meters and a beam of 9.80 meters, will accommodate 250 passengers and house two 1,470 HP engines. Additionally, it will feature both indoor and outdoor decks, highly demanded by tourists, as well as onboard bar/café service and entertainment.
Sponsorship of the Buganvilla Express / La Provincia.
About Fred. Olsen Express
[–>
Celebrating 50 years, Fred. Olsen Express has been connecting the Canary Islands by sea. The shipping company embarked on its journey in 1974 with the first Gomera Ferry plying between San Sebastián de La Gomera and Los Cristianos in Tenerife. Since then, it has remained committed to the development of maritime transport in the archipelago, offering services with state-of-the-art ships focused on comfort, speed, and flexibility.
Dedicated to generating wealth within the Canarian community, the shipping company employs a workforce of nearly 1,000 people. Currently, it operates five maritime routes. Since 2018, it also connects the archipelago with the Iberian Peninsula through the Gran Canaria and Tenerife link with Huelva.
Fred. Olsen Express leads the inter-island market, averaging 22,000 trips annually and transporting over 3.5 million passengers, more than 63,000 pets, around a million vehicles, and approximately 1,300,000 linear meters of cargo, equivalent to about 100,000 freight vehicles. Since its inception, over 85 million passengers have entrusted the company.
Sponsorship of the Buganvilla Express / La Provincia.
Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Canary Islands’ Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, through its ‘Harmony with the Sea’ program, Fred. Olsen Express applies innovation in all its processes to minimize its environmental footprint.
About Rodman
[–>
In recent years, Rodman has successfully designed, built, and delivered various types of catamarans, not only for passengers but also for other purposes such as hydrographic and research catamarans or offshore catamarans to support offshore wind platforms.
[–>
