Ferry operator Stena Line has been awarded a contract in Poland to continue operations at a ferry terminal.
The Port of Gdynia Authority has concluded the tender procedure for the selection of ferry operators at the Public Ferry Terminal in Gdynia, launched in June this year. Stena Line was awarded the contract following the signing of the new agreement, which will continue its operations at the terminal linking its route between Gdynia and Karlskrona, Sweden.
Commenting on the development, Marek Kiersnowski, Trade Director for the Stena Line Gdynia–Karlskrona route, said, “The outcome of the tender secures the continuity of our strategic Gdynia–Karlskrona service, which is one of the most important ferry connections in the Baltic Sea. It also holds the status of a Motorway of the Sea within the EU transport network. This decision confirms the shared commitment of Stena Line and the Port of Gdynia to long-term development, investment stability, and sustainable shipping in our region.”
Under the new contract, valid for years 2026–2032, Stena Line plans to implement a number of future-proof solutions, including 24/7 freight handling, automated drop & collect systems, and hybrid electrification of shipping. Together with both port partners, the company will strengthen the role of this ferry link as a strategic connection between Scandinavia and Central Europe, supporting EU climate goals and the competitiveness of the Baltic corridor.
Stena Line has been operating the Gdynia–Karlskrona route for 30 years; currently operated by a trio of vessels, among them the veteran cruise ferry Stena Spirit. Afloat adds the twin Stena Vision, which serves the Rosslare-Cherbourg service; however, the Polish 1987-built cruise ferry is to be withdrawn from the Ireland-France route, which is to close later this month, following a strategic review that is to focus on its Ireland-UK operations.
The larger ferry, along with its sauna feature, was reintroduced on the continental connection earlier this year to allow the route's long-running ropax Stena Horizon to be deployed also in Scandinavia on another Stena route in the Baltic Sea.
As for the other two ferries running the Sweden-Poland route, where previously the Stena Vision served until 2023, they are the modern E-Flexer pair, Stena Ebba and Stena Estelle, which were introduced in recent years.
During the past three decades, Stena Line on this route has carried more than 12 million passengers and 2.5 million freight units. In June 2022, the company moved its operations to the Public Ferry Terminal in Gdynia.
