EMEA News
Stena Line Orders "World's Most Fuel Efficient" Ferries
Gothenburg-based European ferry company Stena Line Tuesday announced it will build what the company claims will be the world's most fuel efficient RoPax ferries.
Stena signed a contract for delivery of four new vessels to be delivered through 2019 and 2020 with an option for another four ships.
The company emphasised the fuel efficiency of the vessels, which will be optimized for "efficiency and flexibility," which also feature main engines that will be "gas ready", and will be able to be fueled by either methanol or liquefied natural gas.
"During the course of the past 24 months our engineering staff has managed to develop a design that is not only 50% larger than today's standard RoPax vessels, but more importantly, incorporates the emission reduction and efficiency initiatives that have been developed throughout the Stena Group during the past years," said Carl-Johan Hagman, Managing Director, Stena Line.
"These ships will be the most fuel efficient ferries in the world and will set a new industry standard when it comes to operational performance, emissions and cost competitiveness, positioning Stena Line to support its customers in the next decades," said Hagman.
The vessels will have a capacity of more than 3,000 lane meters and 1,000 passengers.
"We foresee a continued demand growth for short sea services in Northern Europe and in many other parts of the world. Ferry transportation will play an essential part in shaping tomorrow's logistics infrastructure if we are to have sustainable societies," said Dan Sten Olsson, Chairman, Stena Line.
"Not only is transportation on sea the most environmentally efficient way of moving goods, it is also infrastructure that provides reliable and speedy logistics with very limited public cost. Through this investment we prepare Stena Line for further growth," said Sten Olsson.
The family-owned company operates 35 vessels and 22 routes in Northern Europe.
In September 2015 Ship & Bunker reported that Stena Line executives thought that the shipping industry was moving away from LFO a "lot quicker" than many think.
