Stena Line has reached new milestones in the build of its NewMax ships. The first NewMax ship, the Stena Futura, was launched last week and at the same time, the keel for the second ship, the Stena Connecta, was laid.
The joint launch and keel-laying ceremony took place at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard, Weihai.
Once operational, Stena Connecta and Stena Futura will enhance freight capacity by forty per cent on the Belfast-Heysham route in response to an increase in customer demand for services between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Also read: LR supports methanol retrofit of two Stena Line ferries
Methanol, batteries, and shore power
The two NewMax hybrid vessels will play a key role in Stena Line’s journey to sustainable fuel 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 utilise 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 thirty per cent of its CO2 emissions by 2030.
Also read: Stena lays keel for first methanol dual-fuel NewMax
‘It’s exciting to witness the progress of our new ships, to future-proof our fleet and set new industry standards to be part of the solution to climate change,’ says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line. ‘These new vessels are the first RoRo ships equipped with a multi hybrid solution, enabling them to operate on battery, biofuel, and methanol. This not only complies with upcoming regulations but also reduces our CO2 emissions, aiding our customers in achieving their scope 3 targets.’
He adds: ‘Stena Futura and Stena Connecta will provide a crucial link across the Irish Sea, meeting the continued growth and demand from freight customers on this route. We’re confident that the increased capacity will be well-received by the market when we welcome Stena Futura to the Irish Sea in Autumn 2025.’
Picture by Stena Line.
Also read: Stena Line converts two vessels to increase cargo capacity
