Buquebus
Uruguayan passenger transport company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Los Cipreses S.A., doing business as Buquebus, is a Uruguayan company[1] that operates ferry services on the River Plate, from Buenos Aires to Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento with duty-free shopping.[2] The company operates a number of coach services to various destinations in conjunction with the ferries.
| |
 Buquebus terminal in Buenos Aires, 2011 | |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
|---|---|
Area served | River Plate |
| Services | Passenger transportation |
| Website | www.buquebus.com |
History
The company started in 1979.[3] Some of its first ferries were the Eladia Isabel[4][5] and Flecha De Buenos Aires between Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento in 1986. In 1998, the company was acquired by Los Cipreses.[6]
Buquebus also operated in Spain, making journeys in the Strait of Gibraltar (between Algeciras and Ceuta), and in the Mediterranean between Mallorca and the Peninsula. It used the catamarans Avemar, Avemar Dos, Catalonia, Ronda Marina, Thomas Edison and Patricia Oliva as well as the monohull Albayzin. On September 19, 2007 this operation was acquired (in 55%) by the shipping company Baleària.
Buquebus also operated the airline BQB Líneas Aéreas in South America from 2010 to 2015.
Since 2014, the company receives 66 tons of LNG per day from 7 production units at a facility in San Vicente near Buenos Aires, sufficient for two round-trips per day for the Francisco ferry on the 146-nautical-mile (270 km; 168 mi) sea route between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The LNG is sent in LNG-powered tank trucks to the ship.[7][8]
The company competes with Colonia Express[9] for a market of 2.5 million people per year who travel across the River Plate.[3]
As of 2026[update], the company is building a $350 million 90,000 m2 (970,000 sq ft) transportation hub in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, with a 150-room hotel and gardens with underground parking for 850 cars.[10][11][12]
Fleet
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Buquebus operates a fleet of three fast ferries.[13]
| Ship | Built | Entered service | Route | Speed (knots) | Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic III | 1993 | 1993 | Buenos Aires - Colonia, 30 nmi (56 km; 35 mi) | 38 | 4,994 GT |  Uruguay | 4×4.5 MW engine |
| Silvia Ana L | 1996 | 1996 - 2000 2007 - | Buenos Aires - Colonia/Montevideo | 42 | 7,895 GT | Uruguay | Monohull. 6×6 MW. 1200 pax, 220 cars. |
| Francisco | 2013 | 2013 | Buenos Aires - Montevideo, 146 nmi (270 km; 168 mi) | 58 | 7,109 GT | Uruguay | World's fastest ferry. 2×22 MW gas turbines on LNG[14][15] |
| Under construction 2026 | |||||||
| China Zorrilla | 2025 | Under construction 2026 | Buenos Aires - Colonia, 30 nmi (56 km; 35 mi) | 25 | 13,000 GT | World's largest catamaran & aluminium ship. Fully battery electric.[16][17] |
The newest ferry, named Francisco, after Pope Francis, was completed by Incat in 2013. Capable of 107 km/h (58 knots) it was, at time of commissioning, the fastest ferry in the world.[18] It has a capacity of 1,024 passengers and crew and 150 cars.[19]
Buquebus has formerly operated a fleet of other fast ferries.[20]
| Ship | Built | Service | Route | Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Patricio | 1995 | 1995 | Buenos Aires - Montevideo | 1,760 GT |  Argentina | |
| Eladia Isabel | 1986 | 1986-2016 | Buenos Aires - Colonia | 7,799 GT | Uruguay | Scrapped in 2025[21][22][4] |
| Albayzin | 1994 | 1994—2022 | Buenos Aires - Colonia | 3,265 GT | Uruguay | [23] |
| Luciano Federico L | 1997 | 1997 | Buenos Aires - Colonia | 1,737 GT | Uruguay | |
| Patricia Olivia II | 1998 | 1998 | Buenos Aires - Colonia | Uruguay | ||
| Flecha De Buenos Aires | 1986 | 1996 | Buenos Aires - Colonia | Uruguay | ||
| Thomas Edison | 1999 | 1999 | Buenos Aires - Colonia | Uruguay |
The Buquebus website also lists HSC Catalonia, which has been chartered to P&O Ferries as HSC Express for several years.
The company's coaches connect with its ferries, hence the company name ("buque"=ferry, bus=coach), providing travel to tourist destinations in the Río de la Plata region. From Montevideo, east to Piriapolis, Punta del Este, La Paloma.
From Colonia del Sacramento, west to Carmelo and Nueva Palmira wine region and river delta.
Previously, the company had bus routes to spas in Termas del Arapey and Termas del Daymán in the Salto region in northwest Uruguay. Also east to the seaside resorts of Atlántida, La Pedrera and Punta del Diablo.
See also
BQB Líneas Aéreas, former Buquebus-owned airline.
