The La Gomera Line of Fred. Olsen Celebrates 45 Years

On July 8, 1974, a new chapter began in the history of maritime communications of the Columbian Island, which has endured over time and positioned it among the most important in the country. Thus, 45 years have passed since the first voyage of the ferry "Benchijigua", the first of its name, on the La Gomera-Los Cristianos route. An initiative by Fred. Olsen and prominent Tenerife entrepreneurs (Álvaro Rodríguez López-Braun, Cándido Luis García Sanjuán, and Antonio Carballo Fernández) along with Rear Admiral Leopoldo Boado Endeiza, who was the first president of the board of directors.

The ship, built in Norway, was imported under the REF of 1972, which the late Tenerife lawyer Antonio Carballo Cotanda had worked hard on, and had a capacity for 400 passengers and about fifty vehicles. The journey lasted an hour and a half, with a fare of 280 pesetas, 500 pesetas for a car, and three daily departures from each port. Captain Miguel Ángel Sánchez Conejo was responsible for bringing it from Norway and made the first trips, along with chief engineer José García Oliva, the longest-serving crew member of Ferry Gomera, who traveled to the Trondheim shipyard when the vessel was under construction. Lali Hernando, from the office set up on Avenida de Anaga, was the first employee in charge of serving the public of the newly launched company.

As esteemed colleague and friend Marcos Brito writes, on Monday, July 8, 1974, at eleven in the morning, the ferry “Benchijigua” departed from the port of Los Cristianos heading to San Sebastián de La Gomera. On its inaugural trip, the first authorities were on board, including the civil governor of the province, Rafael González Echegaray; the military governor, General Rafael Facerías; the president of the Cabildo Association, Rafael Clavijo García; as well as a broad representation from the business and social world. Upon arrival in La Gomera, and after a folkloric performance, the ship was blessed by the bishop of the Nivariense Diocese, Monsignor Luis Franco Cascón, with María Angélica Domingo, wife of the vice president of the shipping company, Álvaro Rodríguez-López Braun, serving as godmother.

Forty-five years later, the development achieved has been spectacular. The people of La Gomera know this well, after the hardships they had suffered in the past. The extension of the southern highway, as it has been called since then, has catapulted La Gomera's prominence to previously unimaginable levels.

Ferry Gomera –Fred Olsen Lines since 1994 and Fred. Olsen Express since 1999– reflects the bond of Fred. Olsen with La Gomera, although it has been diminishing in recent years. A presence that spans over a century, featuring prominent names from the contemporary history of the Canary Islands, such as brothers Álvaro and Conrado Rodríguez López, the agricultural exploitation of the Tecina estates, and fishing activities in Playa de Santiago.

Today, Benchijigua is a significant name in the maritime history of the Canary Islands, held by three ferries and two fast ferries, of which the current “Benchijigua Express” is the largest in the world in its class, as well as two catamarans abbreviated as “Benchi Express,” the second of which entered service in September 2017.

Photo: Kenneth Gibson (shipspotting.com)