Stena Line launches next-gen RoPax

The first new vessel will be named Stena Estrid and is on schedule to enter service on the Dublin to Holyhead route in early 2020, the first of three new E-Flexer vessels bound for the Irish Sea by 2021.

Stena Line chief executive, Niclas Mårtensson, said: “Today the first of our new generation vessels achieved a very important milestone for Stena Line. The Stena Estrid successfully completed her ‘float out’ manoeuvre from dry dock at the Avic Shipyard and now enters a busy phase of works ahead of her Irish Sea launch early next year.”

All three vessels will be larger than today’s standard RoPax vessels at 215m long with a freight capacity of 3,100 lane metres and the space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers.

Despite being larger the vessels will produce around 25 per cent less CO2 emissions per freight unit than existing RoPax ferries. The primary power installation is based on two MaK medium-speed engiens, driving two controllable pitch propellers via reduction gears.

Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea with a total of 232 weekly sailings. The company also offers a direct service from Rosslare to Cherbourg with three return crossings a week.

In addition to the three Irish Sea bound E-Flexer vessels, Stena Line has also ordered a further two E-Flexer RoPax vessels with a larger design, to be deployed within Stena Line’s network in 2022. These larger ships will be 240m long with a total freight capacity of 3,600 lane metres, and passenger capacity of 1,200.