Fuerteventura left without a direct ferry link to mainland Spain after Transport Ministry tender attracts no bids

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has declared unsuccessful a public tender intended to guarantee a regular passenger and vehicle service between Cádiz or Huelva and five islands in the Archipelago, after no shipping company submitted a bid by the deadline.

The tender, worth €3,042,000, covered the provision of the service for one year, from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2027, and required calls at Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

The lack of interested companies is another setback for Fuerteventura’s efforts to restore a direct ferry connection with mainland Spain, a long-standing demand that has become particularly important since the Cádiz route stopped calling at the island.

The Ministry has confirmed that it is considering the administrative options available to safeguard maritime connectivity, but has not yet said whether it will issue a new tender or change the financial or technical terms.

A weekly service calling at five islands

The contract required at least one complete weekly round trip between mainland Spain and the Canary Islands.

Shipping companies could choose Cádiz or Huelva as their port of departure, but had to include calls at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and a port on each of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Palma.

The tender documents did not specify which port facilities had to be used on the latter three islands, leaving that decision to the operator as part of its service arrangements.

Each journey also had to be completed by the same vessel, with calls on the route not allowed to be split between different ships.

The successful bidder would also have to provide additional services during periods of peak demand, particularly at Christmas, Easter and in summer, when requested by the Directorate-General of the Merchant Marine.

Three million euros to cover the operating deficit

The €3,042,000 allocation was intended to cover the service’s projected operating deficit over the 12-month contract period.

The financial study prepared for the tender estimated annual revenue of €30.03 million from passenger, vehicle and freight transport, as well as onboard services.

Operating costs were put at €31.20 million, plus a contractor’s margin of 6%, equivalent to approximately €1.87 million.

The difference between these figures determined the public compensation proposed to make the service viable.

However, the terms have failed to attract any shipping companies.

Fuerteventura still waiting for its Cádiz link to return

The tender being declared unsuccessful does not mean that the maritime connections currently operating between mainland Spain and the Canary Islands have been suspended.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the Huelva–Las Palmas de Gran Canaria–Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Cádiz–Las Palmas de Gran Canaria–Santa Cruz de Tenerife routes continue to operate under the current public service obligations regime.

However, these services do not currently include a direct call at Fuerteventura. Passengers wishing to travel between the island and mainland Spain with their vehicles therefore have to use additional connections via other Canary Islands ports.

The situation keeps alive demands linked to residents’ mobility, vehicle transport and maritime links between Fuerteventura and mainland Spain.

The Ministry says it remains committed to maritime connectivity across the Archipelago and is assessing what measures should be taken after the tender failed to attract bids.

For now, the main question is when, and on what terms, a service including Fuerteventura as a compulsory port of call can be put out to tender again.