Los Cipreses S.A., doing business as Buquebus, is a Uruguayan company that operates ferry services on the River Plate, from Buenos Aires to Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento with duty-free shopping. The company operates a number of coach services to various destinations in conjunction with the ferries.
History The company started in 1979. Some of its first ferries were the Eladia Isabel and Flecha De Buenos Aires between Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento in 1986. In 1998, the company was acquired by Los Cipreses.
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 sea route between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The LNG is sent in LNG-powered tank trucks to the ship.
The company competes with Colonia Express for a market of 2.5 million people per year who travel across the River Plate.
, the company is building a $350 million transportation hub in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, with a 150-room hotel and gardens with underground parking for 850 cars.
Fleet
Buquebus operates a fleet of three fast ferries.
Ship Built Enteredservice Route Speed (knots) Tonnage Flag Notes Atlantic III 1993 1993 Buenos Aires - Colonia, 38 4×4.5 MW engine Silvia Ana L 1996 1996 - 20002007 - Buenos Aires - Colonia/Montevideo 42 Monohull. 6×6 MW. 1200 pax, 220 cars. Francisco 2013 2013 Buenos Aires - Montevideo, 58 World's fastest ferry. 2×22 MW gas turbines on LNGUnder construction 2026 China Zorrilla 2025 Under construction 2026 Buenos Aires - Colonia, 25 World's largest catamaran & aluminium ship.Fully battery electric.
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. It has a capacity of 1,024 passengers and crew and 150 cars.
Former fleet Buquebus has formerly operated a fleet of other ferries.
Ship Built Service Route Tonnage Flag Notes Juan Patricio 1995 1995 Buenos Aires - Montevideo Eladia Isabel 1986 1986-2016 Buenos Aires - Colonia Scrapped in 2025 HSC Albayzin 1994 1994—2018 Buenos Aires - Colonia . Scrapped in 2022 Luciano Federico L 1997 1997-2013 Buenos Aires - Colonia Fast Patricia Olivia 1992 1992-1996 Buenos Aires - Colonia Scrapped in 2019 Flecha De Buenos Aires 1986 1996 Buenos Aires - Colonia Thomas Edison 1999 1999 Buenos Aires - Colonia
The Buquebus website also lists HSC Catalonia, which has been chartered to P&O Ferries as HSC Express for several years.
Buquebus operated the slower diesel ferries built in Japan, Luciano Federico (Awashio) from 1985, and Silvia Ana (Kochi Mary) from 1993, with service ending around year 2000.
Bus service 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.
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