Stena confirms order for two more ROPAX ships, takes an option

JULY 18, 2018 —Continuing its fleet expansion, Stena Line, Gothenburg, Sweden, recently exercised its option to build two more 239.7m x 27.8m Roll-On/Roll-Off passenger (ROPAX) ships —the seventh and eighth in the E-Flexer series—with China’s Avic Weihai Shipyard. The two ROPAX ships, with a capacity of 1,200 passengers and 3,600 lane meters each, will be deployed within Stena Line’s route network with a planned delivery in 2022.

In addition, Stena RoRo has taken an option on the construction of four more E-Flexer vessels with the Chinese yard.

The additional orders will help meet “increasing demand for freight capacity in Northern Europe and our new vessels fit very well in matching anticipated market developments as we prepare ourselves for further expansion,” says Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson. “At this stage we haven’t decided where within our route network these two vessels will be deployed and are currently evaluating several options,” he adds.

“These vessels are the result of good cooperation between Stena RoRo and the AVIC Weihai Shipyard,” says Per Westling, MD Stena RoRo. “With their strong design capabilities, Stena Line will be able to optimize its capacity to accommodate the vessels within most parts of its route network.”

As with the previous E-Flexer vessels ordered by Stena, energy efficiency and sustainability will be key design features.

“We want to lead the development of sustainable shipping and set new industry standards when it comes to operational performance, emissions and cost competiveness,” says Mårtensson.

The two new ships on order will be larger than the three E-Flexer designs currently being built for Stena Line. The first three E-Flexer ships will be 215 meters long with 3.100 lane meters, while the newest two ROPAX ships will measure almost 240 meters with a freight capacity of 3,600 lane meters.

“We are building on our successful ROPAX concept mixing freight and passenger traffic,” says Mårtensson. “Through standardization we can secure a reliable operation and by investing in tonnage that is flexible we can provide an even better product that will ultimately support our customers and help them to grow.”

A total of eight vessels have now been ordered by Stena from Avic Weihai Shipyard in China. The first one is planned to operate on Holyhead-Dublin and the next two delivered to Stena Line are planned to operate on the Liverpool-Belfast service. And, as Marine Log reported earlier, three other vessels will be chartered out to external ferry operators DFDS and Brittany Ferries by Stena RoRo.