Swedish ferry company Stena Line has recently made significant progress in the construction of its NewMax ships. Stena Futura, the first of the two ships, was launched into the water, while the keel was laid for the second ship, Stena Connecta. Both events took place at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, according to Stena Line.
Enhancing Freight Capacity
Once operational, Stena Connecta and Stena Futura will enhance freight capacity by 40% on the Belfast-Heysham route in response to an increase in customer demand for services between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
The two NewMax hybrid vessels will play a key role in Stena Line’s sustainability journey as they will both be able to operate on methanol fuel. They will also be enhanced with built-in technologies that will be able to utilize both battery propulsion and shore power, when available. Stena Line is working closely with methanol suppliers, ensuring future volumes of e-methanol and fulfilling their strategic ambition of shifting to renewable fuels and cutting 30% of its CO2 emissions by 2030.
Paul Grant, Trade Director Irish Sea North, Stena Line said, “We’re delighted to announce the name of our second new build ship, Stena Connecta. It is exciting to see the progress being made on our new ships for the Belfast – Heysham route, which as Connecta’s name suggests, provides a vital connection across the Irish Sea for our customers. We’re continuing to see growth on this route and demand from freight customers, therefore we’re certain that the boost in capacity will be welcomed by the market locally…”
Phil Hall, Port Director – Mersey & Heysham at Peel Ports Group, said: “The launch of this new Stena Line vessel, along with the keel laying for a second, represents a major milestone in enhancing the sustainability of the vital Belfast to Heysham route…”
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Source: Stena Line
