On behalf of Swedish ferry operator Stena Line, Stena RoRo has signed a conversion contract with China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard for the installation of an additional cargo deck on board the Stena Foreteller and a twin, Stena Forerunner.

The contract work is also to see increased thruster capacity and preparations for shore power. As for cargo capacity, this will increase by 30%, and the (4-Runner Mark II class) vessels built in 2002 will, after conversion, be ready to meet future efficiency requirements. The conversion of both vessels will be finalised in 2025.

“At Stena RoRo we see the investment of the installations on the Stena Forerunner and Stena Foreteller as a way to improve services for our fleet customers. We strive to increase cargo capacity while also keeping sustainability in focus. It’s all part of Stena’s identity. Signing the contract with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard is a step in the right direction” says Per Westling, Managing Director at Stena RoRo.

Improvements

In 2023, both vessels were decarbonised by changing propellers, applying silicone paint and adding interceptors, and the additional cargo deck will further decrease the carbon intensity index factor and further reduce CO2 emissions per cargo unit.

After the conversion the vessels will be deployed in the Stena Line route network.

Sustainable ambitions

”The conversion of the Stena Forerunner and Stena Foreteller fits with our ambition to reduce our CO2 emissions. In addition to increasing the cargo capacity by 30% on both the Stena Forerunner and Stena Foreteller, we also take this opportunity to invest in onboard shore power. At Stena Line we feel the need to ensure both a sustainable business and a more sustainable environment” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO at Stena Line.

Another recent collaboration with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard has been the order of the two NewMax hybrid vessels for Stena Line for the Irish Sea routes. These vessels will be delivered in 2025.

Freight-ferry operator, CLdN Ro Ro having announced additional sailings on UK and Irish routes out of Zeebrugge, Belgium, is in a next step to increase capacity and frequency on its Iberian service.

The RoRo operator announced the bi-weekly service calling both to Liverpool and Dublin Port out of Santander, Spain as from this week.

Currently CLdN is operating a weekly service out of Santander, calling Liverpool and Dublin separately. The company was forced to detach the respective services at the beginning of this year, as a direct result of Brexit.

Thanks to being an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), complying with most strict customs and safety and security regimes, the company is now in a position to combine intra EU and non-EU sailings and is to re-introduce the triangle trade: Santander-Liverpool-Dublin-Santander, twice a week.

Leaving Santander each Saturday and Wednesday, arriving in Liverpool on Monday and Friday and subsequently calling Dublin on Tuesday’s and Saturday’s.

A spokesman commented on the expansion of the services:” Driven by the success of our youngest unaccompanied routes from the Iberian Peninsula directly to the UK and Ireland, the market can benefit from increased capacity and frequency shortly. Allowing our customers to increase turnaround times of their equipment and rely on a robust service bypassing the Landbridge, with its administrative burdens".

"We are confident this will give a boost to our services and is the right answer to growing market demand, the modal shift from accompanied to unaccompanied transport and to designing sustainable supply chains with a low carbon footprint“