Stena Line will be adding a third ship to its Karlskrona-Gdynia route from 8 July in order to meet the increased demand for freight capacity, company press release reports. This ship, which is being chartered from sister company Stena Roro, will be sailing under the name Stena Alegra and was previously named Norman Trader.
The Stena Alegra will increase capacity on the route with 20% initially, and more departures will be added to the time table later on. “We are very pleased that we now have a solution in place which involves a third ship. Traffic on this route has increased hugely over the past few years, and we have been in great need of additional capacity as our car decks have been full for a long time. We are now improving the service we offer to both freight customers and private travellers by offering more departures,” says Tony Michaelsen, Route Director for Karlskrona-Gdynia.
The number of freight units on the route increased by 7% in 2012, while the number of cars increased by 9%. This positive development has continued in 2013. During the first quarter this year the number of freight units increased by 11% and the number of cars increased by 8%, compared to the first quarter of 2012.
“Economic development in Poland and Eastern Europe is very good, and we believe that both freight traffic and private travel between Sweden and Poland will continue to grow. The solution involving a third ship to sail alongside the Stena Vision and Stena Spirit will be very good, and the Stena Alegra provides an excellent complement to these two ships,” says Michael McGrath, COO at Stena Line. The Stena Vision and Stena Spirit will be continuing to run on the present time table, while the Stena Alegra will be departing from Karlskrona and Gdynia three times a week. The first departure will be leaving Gdynia on 8 July.
