MARIE CURIE © Frank Heine

Drop in passengers between Huelva and the Canary Islands

FerryThe Huelva-Canary Islands ferry service carried 29,366 passengers in the first eight months of 2026, down 13.9% from 34,088 a year earlier, according to statistic made by Port of Huelva and reported by Huelva Información. Vehicle traffic fell 10.3% to 18,157.

Fred. Olsen Express and Baleària operate the route jointly, linking Huelva with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the 1,250 passenger and 1,500 lane metre RoPax BUENAVISTA EXPRESS and the 880 passenger and 2,194 lane metre “Visentini RoPax” MARIE CURIE.

They added a fourth weekly sailing from 26 June to 3 September to meet summer demand from passengers and freight operators.

The service has been Huelva’s only ferry connection to the Canary Islands since Naviera Armas moved its operations to Cádiz in April 2024. The route is subject to a public service obligation requiring at least one sailing per week.

Looking specifically at the months of June and July of this year, more than 9,000 passengers travelled on the route, representing an increase of just under 11% compared to the same two months in 2025, when the route had a different tonnage setup.

sep 23 2026