Stena Line takes delivery of third Irish Sea ferry

The new Stena Line E-Flexer ships are among the most advanced and fuel-efficient vessels in operation and are larger than today’s standard ropax vessels. At 215 m in length, Stena Embla will provide freight capacity of 3,100 lane metres, can accommodate 120 cars and 1,000 passengers and crew.

Stena Embla will begin service in January 2021 and is expected to go into service on the Belfast-Liverpool route. The vessel joins sister vessels Stena Estrid and Stena Edda, which entered service on the Irish Sea earlier this year.

Stena’s newest vessel is the third of five next-generation E-Flexer ropax vessels being constructed at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard as part of an extensive modernisation of the company’s fleet. It is last of three new vessels due for the Irish Sea, which marks the end of a seven-year development programme and £400M (US$541M) investment in new ferries and port infrastructure in the region.

Chief executive Niclas Mårtensson said the delivery of Stena Embla marked the end of a very difficult year for the operator. “Taking ownership of Stena Embla is a major milestone for Stena Line, as we look forward to better times ahead.”

“While delivery of the vessel marks the end of a very tough period for us, it also marks the completion of a very significant investment in our Irish Sea operations. It reflects our strong support for the region that will see three of the world’s most modern ferries operating between Britain and Ireland. We recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the relocation of our Northern Ireland operations to Belfast and 25 years since we commenced the Holyhead to Dublin route. Our three new ferries in the region are a sign of our strong commitment to another 25 years on the Irish Sea” he added.

The remaining two E-Flexer vessels under construction in China are even larger versions with a total length of 240 m.

Passenger Ship Technology has discussed the energy efficiency innovations in the E-Flexer vessels at length here.