Ferry company Stena Line has announced an expansion and strengthening of its operations across the Baltic Sea region.
Next year the current vessels on the Nynäshamn, Sweden to Ventspils, Latvia route will be replaced with the upgraded, modified and lengthened Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey RoPax ferries, which will add 30% more freight capacity. The conversion work will be carried out by Stena RoRo and Sedef Shipyard in Turkey.
“We have seen an increase in demand from our customers across the wider Baltic Sea region. We are now strengthening our position and customer offer further with new modern vessels and more capacity,” said Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.
The Visentini-built vessels will be lengthened with a 36m mid-section. After the conversion they will be 222m long and include 2,875 freight lane meters plus an additional car deck. To increase the loading efficiency they will be modified with drive through capabilities on two levels. The vessels will also be fitted with hybrid scrubbers.
Stena Lagan is currently at the Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey. It is due to start operating on the Nynäshamn-Ventspils route at the beginning of 2021. Stena Mersey is still operating on the Belfast-Liverpool route and will be replaced by Stena Embla in January 2021 before leaving for lengthening at the Sedef Shipyard. The vessel is expected to return to service on her new route later during the year.
Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey have been operating on Stena Line’s Irish Sea route between Belfast and Liverpool for the last 10 years.
By Rebecca Jeffrey
