BENCOMO EXPRESS

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Dual fuel first as ferry conversion plan moves ahead

A plan by Spain's Fred. Olsen S.A. to convert all four engines of its 96 m Incat wavepiercer BENCOMO EXPRESS to dual fuel LNG operation has passed a major milestone.The ferry first entered service in October 1999 on the route between Agaete (Gran Canaria) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is to be converted to dual fuel operation as part of the EU Project "GAINN4SHIP INNOVATION: LNG Technologies and Innovation for Maritime Transport for the Promotion of Sustainability, Multimodality and the Efficiency of the Network," which is co-funded by the EU's Connecting Europe Facility Program. A Caterpillar 3618 engine that's a sister to those installed in the wavepiercer has now successfully completed bench mark testing to become the first world's first marine high speed propulsion engine to be converted to dual fuel, reports Schönau, Germany, headquartered Heinzmann GmbH & Co. KG.

Ferry altered course after passenger protest

The "Bencomo Express" which was releasing the traffic after the ferry "Bentago Express" suffered technical trouble, was rerouted to Agaete instead of Las Palmas in the afternoon of Aug 17, 2014, with 858 passengers on board. It was then planned to send the ferry back onto its regular route Gran Canaria and Tenerife, the passengers from Fuerteventura should be taken further to Las Palmas with coaches. But the 200 passengers who were destined for La Luz and already had left the port of Morro Jable with a delay of 1,5 hours protested so fiercely that the captain decided to alter course directly to La Luz in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria