Baleària completes takeover of Armas-Trasmediterránea in the Canary Islands
Baleària has taken effective control of Armas-Trasmediterránea’s assets in the Canary Islands, including both inter-island routes and connections between the Spanish mainland and the archipelago, the ferry company announced this Monday in a statement. The Valencia-based operator will now bring together nearly 4,500 employees and a fleet exceeding 50 vessels.
The combined annual traffic volume will surpass 8 million passengers and 11 million linear metres of cargo, generating consolidated revenue of more than €1 billion. To drive up standards, Baleària has pledged to invest €45 million over the next three years in the Canaries, focusing on improved quality, digitalisation and passenger comfort across the acquired fleet.
Jobs and local commitment
The company has confirmed that it will retain all transferred staff and will work closely with institutions, port authorities and social and economic stakeholders across the islands. Baleària’s president, Adolfo Utor, highlighted the strategic significance of the deal: ‘The new Baleària is ready to guarantee the efficiency of the entire national maritime transport network across all its territories. We are talking about an essential piece of infrastructure for territorial cohesion with the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, as well as the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and a key bridge for political and commercial relations with Morocco and Algeria. We are a nationally owned company capable of safeguarding sovereignty in a sector that is strategic for the country.’
A new brand is born: Baleària Canarias
As part of the integration, the company has created the brand Baleària Canarias, under which it will operate in the archipelago. During a transitional period, this new name will coexist with the Armas Trasmediterránea brand. The acquisition brings together three historic names in Spanish maritime transport: Trasmediterránea (founded in 1916), Armas (1941) and Baleària (1998).
It is worth recalling that the agreement for this acquisition was announced last August. The overall deal is structured around three geographical perimeters; with the Canary Islands phase now complete, formalities for the Strait of Gibraltar and Alborán Sea zones are still pending.
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