Four Gas-Ready Newbuilds Set to Operate on Stena Line Irish Sea Routes

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday February 15, 2017

Stena Line today announced that its four "gas ready" newbuilds, which the company calls the "world’s most fuel efficient RoPax vessels," will be deployed on the company's Irish Sea routes serving its Belfast hub.

As Ship & Bunker reported last year, the contract is for four newbuild RoPax ferry vessels with a planned delivery schedule during 2019 and 2020.  The contract also contains an option for another four vessels to be ordered.

"The new RoPax vessels will be among the most fuel efficient in the world with approximately 25 percent lower CO2 emissions per cargo unit than current RoPax tonnage," said Niclas Mårtensson, Stena Line CEO.

"Our aim is to lead the development of sustainability within the shipping industry and set a new industry standard when it comes to operational performance, emissions and cost competitiveness."

The new vessels, which are being built at the AVIC Shipyard in China, are said to be aligned with Stena Line's strategic focus on sustainability.

"The vessels will run on traditional fuel, but are designed to the class notation 'gas ready' and are also prepared for scrubbers as well as catalytic converters, giving us flexibility for the future," explained Mårtensson.

Last June, DNV GL announced that it had signed a contract with Stena Line to provide classification on the four newbuild RoPax vessels.