Carl-Johan Hagman outlines Stena Line's progress towards meeting eco goals and expectations
By
Rebecca Gibson |
This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Stena Line made history in March 2015 when it converted Stena Germanica into the world’s first methanol-powered passenger ferry. Supported by the European Union’s (EU) Motorways of the Seas initiative, the €22 million conversion was carried out at Remontowa’s yard in Poland with the help of process automation solutions provider Metso, engine manufacturer Wärtsilä, methanol specialist Methanex and ship designer ScandiNAOS.
“We are evaluating a number of options to reduce emissions, including an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber), using low-sulphur fuel and retrofitting engines to operate on methanol, LNG or battery power,” remarks Carl-Johan Hagman, Stena Line’s CEO. “The methanol project went hand in hand with our overriding strategy to reduce the harmful emissions we put into both the sea and the air because it drastically lowers sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particle matter (PM) emissions.”
The Methanol pilot project commenced in early 2015 and one of the first steps was to equip one Wärtsilä engine with dual-fuel methanol and diesel injection nozzles. The 1,300-guest ferry (primarily) can operate on methanol when sailing between Kiel, Germany and Gothenburg, Sweden. This allows Stena Line to meet the Baltic Sea Emissions Control Area (ECA) regulations. Following the positive results, Stena Line plans to convert the ferry’s three remaining engines.
“When Stena Germanica is running fully on methanol her SOx and PM emissions are reduced by 90% and her NOx emissions are 60% lower,” says Hagman, adding that Stena Line aims to take this a step further in future. “Technically, methanol is working very well, but it’s not the cheapest solution and there’s no long-term pricing certainty. Plus, if we were to use bio-methanol, we could also reduce all carbon dioxide emissions, so we are currently negotiating with different fuel manufacturers.”
This year, Stena Line plans to use an €8 million EU grant to subsidise the cost of installing scrubbers on two superferries. “We’ll convert the engines onboard Stena Britannica and Stena Hollandica, enabling them to meet the 0.1% sulphur emissions limits on their North Sea route between Harwich, UK and the Hook of Holland,” says Hagman. “The grants will cover around 30% of the total cost of the conversions, which will take place at the end of 2016 and the start of 2017 respectively.”
Continuing to reduce Stena Line’s environmental footprint and build on its annual 2.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will remain high on Hagman’s agenda for 2016 and far beyond. “Thanks to a substantial drop in oil prices, we survived the implementation of the stricter ECA regulations in January 2015 and we’ve significantly decreased our fuel consumption, but our ultimate goal is to find a fuel that reduces all emissions to the lowest possible level,” he says. “We want to transform both the Stena Line fleet and the future of ship power for the 70,000 vessels currently sailing our oceans.”
Not only did Stena Line make significant progress towards achieving Hagman’s aim of becoming ‘the world’s greenest ferry company’, but it also continued to enhance ships, expand onboard offerings and build on the healthy growth of its Irish Sea and North Sea routes in 2015.
Last summer, the line carried out minor upgrades on Stena Superfast VII and Superfast VIII, which have operated on the Belfast-Cairnryan service between Northern Ireland and Scotland since it opened in November 2011.
“Although both vessels underwent significant refurbishments to ensure they were at the optimum level in 2011, we needed to carry out low-level upgrades in some passenger areas,” says Hagman. “We revamped the suites on Deck 10, refreshed the Stena Plus lounge, renovated the Met Bar and created a new conference lounge. Feedback from crew has been extremely positive and both vessels finished top of our Europe-wide 2015 customer satisfaction survey, paying testimony to their quality and the service delivered on them.”
Superfast VII and Superfast VIII were also joined by a sister ship, Superfast X, in March.
“We were already very happy with our Superfast class and like Superfast VII and Superfast VIII, Superfast X has received very positive reviews from our travel and freight customers,” says Hagman, adding that the line introduced new corporate concepts and extensively refurbished passenger areas. “She is very reliable and her ability to service the needs of both our travel and freight customers makes her a valuable addition to our fleet.”
Hagman notes that Superfast X has also helped to grow its Holyhead-Dublin route between Wales and Ireland. This expansion has been further boosted by Stena Line’s decision to axe its seasonal high-speed ferry service (HSS) between Dun Laoghaire, Ireland and Holyhead, Wales last February.
“We had operated the HSS since 2010, but the changing demands of our business required a more robust ro-pax solution and the seasonal operation of the vessel had become increasingly untenable,” Hagman explains. “Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Port are both located in Dublin Bay, so it was inevitable that the services would eventually merge. As our Dublin Port business has strengthened considerably, we felt it was important to do all we could to stimulate future growth, hence we introduced Superfast X on the Holyhead-Dublin route and closed the other. We’re extremely pleased with the progress as we approach the first anniversary of our extended Holyhead-Dublin Port service.”
Stena Line has also continued to find new ways to reduce operating costs and enhance the onboard experience so that its services remain popular.
“Last year we developed new food concepts and expanded menus, added new products to the onboard shops and relaunched our eXtra loyalty programme to reward regular customers with discounts and other exclusive benefits,” he says. “From February 2016 we will roll out changes across the group to our Business Traveller programme and we will continue to track online customer reviews to identify areas for improvement and enable teams in different regions to share best practices when there’s been a particularly positive response to a new offering.”
He adds: “We want to continue to improve the onboard experience – partly through digitalisation and increasing entertainment options – and enhance the reliability and frequency of our services to make it even more pleasant for our customers to travel with us.”