By
Rebecca Gibson |
Stena Line welcomed record numbers of cars and passengers on its Harwich-Hook of Holland route in 2012, transporting a total of 521,000 passengers and 110,000 cars across the North Sea throughout the year.
The figures represent the highest annual volumes recorded on the current timetable, with an additional 12,000 passengers and 5,000 cars using the service. This indicates a 2.4 per cent annual rise in travellers and a 5.2 per cent growth in vehicles using the twice-daily, six-hour return crossings between Harwich and the Hook of Holland.
“It has been particularly important for Stena Line to achieve ongoing growth in North Sea volumes following our 2010 investment in two superferries, which are the largest of their kind,” said Lars Olsson, general manager for travel on the North Sea, Stena Line.
The largest growth of the year was recorded in March 2012, which had a 20 per cent rise in both guest and vehicle numbers in comparison to March 2011. An additional 5,000 passengers travelled on the service in December 2012, marking a 13.4 per cent increase since December 2011, while there was a 16.3 per cent rise in the number of cars.
The ferry operator experienced substantial growth in August 2012, when 68,000 passengers and 16,000 cars sailed on the route, making it the line’s busiest month of any year across the North Sea in the past five years.
Stena Line’s combined rail and ferry ‘dutchflyer’ package also experienced significant growth, with a 10 per cent year-on-year increase.
The line’s record numbers also coincided with its 50th anniversary.
“We’re pleased to see that, for Stena Line, our golden anniversary year was actually the most successful on the present North Sea timetable,” said Olsson. “This really shows that our pricing and marketing strategies and the appeal of our onboard product helped to steal market share from no-frills airlines and the Channel Tunnel. We look forward to achieving yet further growth out of Harwich for 2013.”
In contrast, according to the Office for National Statistics data, figures for British outbound travel as a whole remained static in 2012.