Overload in southern Tenerife is mainly determined by mobility criteria, environmental concerns, and administrative fragmentation.
In the south of the island, the bottleneck — both literally and figuratively — of the port of Los Cristianos is a major factor for the economy and daily life on the green islands of La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma.
Port of Los Cristianos overloaded
The lack of infrastructure improvements over the past 30 years, seasonal pressure, and traffic congestion around access roads have turned this port into a chronic bottleneck that threatens inter-island connectivity with the green islands. The overload in southern Tenerife is complete.
Capacity is growing spectacularly, there is insufficient land space, only two berths are available, and the roads are constantly saturated. This is how the port of Los Cristianos currently operates — the main link to La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma. Technicians claim that the port of Los Cristianos is dying from its own success.
The traffic development is significant. Between 2010 and 2024, the total number of passengers increased by 52.91%, while the number of vehicles rose by 104.46%. In the same period, the average number of passengers per ship grew from 306.5 to 543.41, and the number of vehicles per ship from 52.44 to 124.33. The projections for 2050 only make the picture more alarming: an increase of 85% compared to 2019 levels.
The port has structural deficiencies that make it impossible to meet current demand. The ratio of passengers per vehicle has dropped from over five to just 3.44 people per car, resulting in more vehicles on board and increased pressure on the dock. During peak periods such as Easter, summer, and winter, traffic can sometimes triple the annual average.
One of the main limitations is the lack of land space. The technical report notes that pedestrian and vehicle flows cannot be properly separated, causing operational disruptions and safety concerns. There is also a shortage of berths: only two are operational, while the ships exceed the originally planned dimensions. The report proposes two solutions: an outer dock with up to four new berths, or an extension of the current pier with one additional berth and an expanded dock area.
New tunnel in Los Cristianos
Congestion continues outside the port area as well. The connection with the TF-1 motorway and Avenida Chayofita handles up to 92,000 vehicles per day, with poor traffic performance. The report proposes restructuring the traffic through various measures. To ease internal pressure within the port, the Port Authority is working on a package of short-term measures. One key project is the creation of additional port space by demolishing an annex building, which will be replaced by a multi-level parking facility.
There is also a plan to tunnel the vehicle exit from the port underground to improve traffic flow. Simultaneously, the Tenerife island government is revising a project to take Avenida Chayofita — one of Los Cristianos’ most congested arteries — underground. On top of that, the Ministry of Public Works has proposed a new tunnel through the Chayofita mountain. A geological study is currently underway to assess its feasibility.
Arona says no
Although technical solutions are on the table, political blockade remains the biggest obstacle. The mayor of Arona, Fátima Lemes, opposes any port expansion. She states that her administration cannot support any intervention without a concrete official plan, warning that it would only increase traffic congestion and further impact daily life, local businesses, and tourism. Los Cristianos has reached its limit, she says, and calls for a serious debate on alternatives: this should not become a source of conflict, and administrations must work together to find solutions.
There is a severe lack of coordination between government bodies, preventing agreement. The port of Los Cristianos falls under the Port Authority, while the main alternative option, Fonsalía, is managed by Puertos Canarios. If both belonged to the same administration, a decision would likely have been made long ago, according to the report.
The president of the island government, Rosa Dávila, recently called the port expansion “unpostponable and urgent.” The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, also acknowledged that the situation is unsustainable and immediate action is needed.
Meanwhile, the port remains overloaded, leaving the Green Islands dependent on an outdated logistical hub. The political impasse between various administrations hinders progress. “Los Cristianos has been the center of the inter-island system for almost 50 years. But it can’t take it anymore,” the report states.
New port in Fonsalía
According to technical reports, a new port in Fonsalía is the option with the greatest operational advantages. Its location would significantly reduce sailing times: -22% with La Gomera, -16% with La Palma, and -3% with El Hierro. This equates to 1,830 fewer sailing hours per year. But the project is stalled. It requires a new environmental impact assessment and faces serious obstacles: high costs (more than 319 million euros) and its impact on the ZEC Teno-Rasca area, which has a high concentration of whales.
The Association of Engineers is clear: “Is Fonsalía the only option? As of today, yes. Is the current project defensible under sustainability criteria? We believe not, and we have repeatedly argued this in various articles.”
Still, the location offers advantages: reserved land and deeper waters that allow maritime traffic, though realization would take at least ten years.
Granadilla impractical
The port of Granadilla is the only already-built option in the south. It has operational capacity, but the location is unfavorable. Sailing time increases significantly: +70% with La Gomera, +22% with La Palma and El Hierro. This results in 4,800 additional sailing hours and 145,100 extra nautical miles per year, with higher fuel costs as a consequence. Therefore, Granadilla offers insufficient advantages to compensate for its poor location.
No ferry company has shown interest, which speaks volumes. Moreover, the value of a port does not lie in construction costs, but in what it generates. The logic of inter-island transport is not just about capacity but also about geometric efficiency. Choosing Granadilla would be a technical and political mistake.
Santa Cruz is not a player
The port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is considered the least suitable for connection with the Green Islands and is therefore technically excluded. The greater distance to the western islands — 47% more than from Los Cristianos and 75% more than from Fonsalía — makes it inefficient for inter-island travel. Additionally, its layout does not allow staggered routes between multiple islands, limiting its functionality.
Ferry operators show no interest either: currently, only Armas-Transmediterránea maintains a weekly connection from Santa Cruz to the Green Islands. The location of the port breaks the geographical logic of the insular network and increases operational and environmental costs. Attempts to strengthen the route have failed due to lack of real demand.
The overload in southern Tenerife will persist unless an adequate solution is found. The solution itself is also impractical if realization of the chosen plans does not begin swiftly.
Guy Devos @ AI Illustration
Overload in southern Tenerife ©
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