Fuerteventura’s PP laments that the island remains without a direct sea link to mainland Spain after tender attracts no bids

The People’s Party (PP) in Fuerteventura has criticised the fact that the island remains without a direct sea link to mainland Spain after the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility declared void a tender to award a regular public-interest shipping service between the mainland and several Canary Islands.

The tender, worth just over three million euros and covering calls at Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, was left without an award after no shipping companies submitted bids.

For the PP in Fuerteventura, the outcome confirms its warnings about the tender conditions, which it considers insufficient to guarantee a stable service that would appeal to maritime operators.

The PP says the tender specifications set requirements that made it difficult for shipping companies to take part. It has questioned in particular the planned contract duration, which was limited to one year.

The party says this arrangement did not offer a definitive solution to Fuerteventura’s connectivity problem, but rather a temporary response that would have meant facing renewed uncertainty when the contract period ended.

The PP also reproaches the PSOE for presenting the tender as a solution to the problem, and criticises the president of Fuerteventura Island Council for hailing its launch as an institutional achievement.

PP calls for a Public Service Obligation to guarantee the connection

Following the failure of the tender, the People’s Party insists that the direct sea link with mainland Spain must be restored through a permanent solution.

The party supports formally designating the connection to Fuerteventura as a Public Service Obligation (PSO), with the aim of guaranteeing continuity and preventing the service from depending solely on temporary contracts.

In the PP’s view, this measure would bring greater stability to a connection it considers essential for residents’ mobility and the island’s economic activity.

The party warns that the lack of a direct route means passengers have to rely on connections via other islands, creating additional difficulties for the transport of passengers, vehicles and goods.

It argues that the situation affects the competitiveness of businesses in Fuerteventura, increases transport costs and may have an impact on the prices paid by consumers.

The party links these difficulties to the effects of double insularity and says Fuerteventura needs a specific response from the Government of Spain.

Criticism of Fuerteventura’s Socialist senator

The People’s Party has also used the situation to question the conduct of Fuerteventura’s current Socialist representative in the Senate, accusing her of failing to engage with the island’s main problems.

The PP says that over the past eight years there has not been a sufficiently firm defence of Fuerteventura’s interests before the central government, particularly on issues relating to maritime connections.

The party considers the loss of the direct link with Cádiz one example of what it describes as the state’s failure to address Fuerteventura’s needs.

“The PSOE has already shown that Fuerteventura has not been, and will not be, on the Government of Spain’s agenda while the Socialists remain in power. The island cannot afford even one more second of neglect, because this is not just about the sea link with Cádiz; it is also about the Coastal Law, increased security personnel, road agreements and, above all, access to housing,” the People’s Party said.

Esther Hernández and the 29 November election

In electoral terms, the PP is backing Esther Hernández’s candidacy for the Senate in Fuerteventura as an alternative to strengthen the island’s representation in national institutions.

The party says its candidate will work to put Fuerteventura’s demands on the national agenda, with particular attention to connectivity, infrastructure, security and housing.

The PP links these proposals to the forthcoming general election on 29 November, in which it hopes to secure representation for the island in the upper house.

The party insists that the outcome of the maritime tender shows the need to change the central government’s policy towards Fuerteventura, and calls for measures to restore the direct link with mainland Spain and guarantee its continuity.

For now, the Ministry of Transport has said it is studying the administrative steps required after the tender attracted no bids. It has not yet specified when a new procedure might be launched or what conditions it would include.