All the ships are set to enter service in 2020 and 2021 after being built by AVIC Wehai in China
By
Elly Yates-Roberts |
AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China has cut the steel for Stena Line’s third E-Flexer ro-pax ferry.
The first of the three ferries will enter service in early 2020 on the Holyhead to Dublin Irish Sea route, with the other two following later in the year and in 2021 on the Liverpool to Belfast route.
“We are delighted to report that the steel-cutting ceremony for the third of our Irish Sea E-Flexer ships has now taken place and that construction is going to plan across all three of our new generation ro-pax vessels,” said Peter Arvidsson, chief operating officer at Stena Line. “Having visited the site several times, we are very impressed with the work being carried out by Stena RoRo, the AVIC shipyard and its subcontractors.”
All three of the vessels will be bigger than the standard ro-pax vessels, coming in at 215 metres long with a freight capacity of 3,100 lane metres and the space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers.
Stena Line has also ordered two E-Flexer ro-pax vessels with a larger design, which will be deployed in 2022. These larger ships will be 240 metres long with a total freight capacity of 3,600 lane metres and passenger capacity of 1,200.
“With continued investment in our fleet, we want to lead the development of sustainable shipping and set new industry standards when it comes to operational performance, emissions and cost competitiveness,” said Arvidsson.