Baleària completes takeover of Naviera Armas' Canary Islands business

Baleària has taken effective control of Armas Trasmediterránea’s assets in the Canary Islands, including both inter-island routes and connections between the mainland and the archipelago, consolidating its position as Spain’s leading maritime transport company. 

According to Baleària, the resulting group has around 4,500 employees and operates a fleet of over 50 vessels. Combined annual traffic volume is projected to exceed 8M passengers and 11M linear metres of cargo, generating a consolidated turnover of more than €1Bn (US$1.2Bn). 

This acquisition marks the integration of three historic Spanish shipping lines: Trasmediterránea (founded in 1916), Armas (in 1941), and Baleària (in 1998), significantly strengthening Baleària’s position in the European ferry market.

Baleària has revealed plans to invest €45M (US$52.2M) over the next three years in the Canary Islands “to enhance the quality, digitalisation and comfort of the fleet” it has acquired. The Spanish ferry operator has guaranteed that the existing workforce will be retained.

Baleària president Adolfo Utor highlighted the strategic importance of the transaction: "The new Baleària is ready to ensure the efficiency of the entire national maritime transport network across all its regions. We are talking about a key infrastructure for territorial cohesion with the Canary and Balearic archipelagos, and with the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as a vital link for political and commercial relations with Morocco and Algeria.”

As part of this integration, the company has launched the Baleària Canarias brand to handle operations in the archipelago. During a transitional period, this new brand will coexist with the Armas Trasmediterránea brand.

As Riviera reported in August 2025, Armas Trasmediterránea signed two separate binding agreements related to the sale of its activities in the three geographical areas. The first covered the sale of its operations in the Canary Islands, the Iberian Peninsula, Algeria, and the Alboran Sea to Baleària. The second included the sale of all assets of Armas Trasmediterránea’s Strait of Gibraltar operations to Baleària and Danish ferry operator DFDS.

“Following the completion of the Canary Islands phase, the procedures relating to the Strait and Alboran areas are yet to be finalised,” Baleària said.

One of the newest assets in the Canary Islands is the LNG-fuelled ropax ferry Mercedes Pinto. The vessel has a capacity of 1,200 passengers and 450 vehicles.