New Disappointment of the “Betancuria Express” in Morro Jable

The catamaran “Betancuria Express” has once again disappointed Fred. Olsen Express and the 430 passengers who were on board yesterday afternoon on the trip between Las Palmas and Morro Jable. According to the company in a statement, “a technical problem with one of the waterjets (turbines), combined with adverse weather conditions, with gusts of wind exceeding 30 knots” prevented the maneuver at the destination port and the ship returned to Las Palmas, arriving there at 02:00 today.

Fred. Olsen is trying to alleviate the discomfort this has caused and says it will refund the ticket prices to those affected. According to Canarias 7, passengers are complaining about the lack of information provided to them and refer to the situation experienced on board as “chaos.” La Provincia, however, states that the ship “lost power” when it was about to dock at the port of Morro Jable and that “the smell of burning was very strong.”

The incident occurred around 23:00 yesterday when the catamaran “Betancuria Express” was preparing to maneuver in Morro Jable and became stranded half a mile from the port. When passengers were informed that they were returning to the Gran Canaria capital, La Provincia says, “it caused a lot of uproar, protests, and indignation among the passengers.”

Fred. Olsen states that the breakdown “has been resolved” and this morning the vessel is sailing towards Morro Jable, although it is doing so at a speed of 22.5 knots. This indicates that the issue is not fully resolved, as the usual speed is eight to ten knots higher.

Photo: Fred. Olsen