As a response to increased customer demand in the Baltic Sea South region, Stena Line will launch its two new E-Flexer vessels on the route between Karlskrona and Gdynia. The E-Flexers are modern, fuel-efficient ferries, and a vital part of Stena Lines strategy for expansion as well as the company’s aim to develop sustainable shipping, according to the company's release.
Stena Line will launch two E-Flexer ferries on the route between Swedish Karlskrona and Polish Gdynia in 2022. The first E-flexer will commence operations in July and the second in November. Both were originally planned to be deployed on the route between Swedish Nynäshamn and Latvian Ventspils, but due to a particular strong freight development in Baltic Sea South, Stena Line has decided that the E-Flexers are at the moment best used there.
The recently lenghtened and modernised Stena Scandia and Stena Baltica will continue to serve the route between Nynäshamn and Ventspils, thus continuing to add a 30% freight and 70% cabin space boost in capacity.
The E-flexers are part of the company’s ambition to further strengthen its position in the Baltic Sea and grow together with its customers.
The name E-Flexer is chosen to reflect two of the main goals of the design – efficiency and flexibility. The ships are among the most fuel efficient in the world for their size, while also being flexible enough to operate across different routes. Moreover, they are delivered ready both for conversion to battery hybrid operation and for conversion to methanol or liquid natural gas (LNG) fuel, when the necessary bunkering infrastructure is in place.
Over the past years, Stena Line has expanded heavily in the Baltic Sea, driven by an increased customer demand for sea transportation – for both freight and passengers. Besides deploying Stena Scandica and Stena Baltica between Nynäshamn and Ventspils in July 2021 (Scandica) and January 2022 (Baltica), Stena Line has added 40% more freight capacity between Liepāja in Latvia and German Travemünde, by deploying the RoPax-ferries Stena Livia and Stena Flavia on this route.
Stena Line has also opened a completely new route between Swedish Nynäshamn and Finnish Hanko on 1 February 2022, served by the vessel Urd. A second vessel (Stena Gothica) will be added at the end of May.
Stena Line is one of Europe's leading ferry companies with 37 vessels and 18 routes in Northern Europe operating 25,000 sailings each year. Stena Line is an important part of the European logistics network and develops new intermodal freight solutions by combining transport by rail, road and sea. Stena Line also plays an important role for tourism in Europe with its extensive passenger operations. The company is family-owned, was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Gothenburg. Stena Line has 4,300 employees and an annual turnover of 14 billion SEK.