By
Simon Johnson |
The Irish Sea has quickly become one of Stena Line’s most important trading areas. In 2024, the ferry operator transported more than 2.7 million passengers, 830,000 cars and almost 900,000 freight units over seven routes in the region, where 12 ships provide a total of 238 sailings each week.
Paul Grant, Stena Line’s trade director, has played an instrumental role in the growth of this area of business. “There is no doubt that one of the main game-changers for our Irish Sea business was the decision we took to move our operations from Larne to a new purpose-built terminal in Belfast Harbour in November 1995,” he says. “At that time, and still to this day, we have unshakeable confidence in Belfast Harbour as a future driver for growth. The results, in terms of our volumes over the last three decades, speak for themselves.”
One of the success stories of the region has been the acquisition of two superfast vessels for Stena Line’s Belfast to Cairnryan route. “When the option to acquire Superfast VII and VIII became available, we knew that – if we could adapt the configuration of the vessels to focus more on the shorter Belfast to Cairnryan route compared to the overnight service they previously operated on – we could create a strong Northern Ireland to Scotland product,” explains Grant. “Both vessels had already proved their seaworthiness and reliability operating on the Helsinki to Rostock route between Finland and Germany. Once we knew the required changes were possible, we were convinced they’d be a success operationally and with customers – and indeed they have.”
Stena Embla (pictured) and its sister ship Stena Edda are the biggest ferries to ever operate on the route between Belfast and Liverpool
Adapting the configuration required Stena Line to remove all but six passenger cabins and to create a new passenger area on deck eight. By doing this, the ship transformed from an overnight ferry to a day ferry capable of carrying up to 1,200 passengers in comfort. “We retained the spa area, but pretty much transformed the two ships simultaneously in Gdansk [Poland] before starting service from our new Loch Ryan Port in November 2011,” says Grant.
The introduction of Stena RoRo’s E-Flexer series of vessels has also made a significant contribution to the development of Stena Line’s Irish Sea business. Stena Estrid was introduced on the Dublin to Holyhead service in 2020. The subsequent introduction of Stena Edda and Stena Embla – which are the biggest ships ever to operate on the Belfast to Liverpool service – has significantly increased capacity for freight and travel customers and also raised service standards. “Stena Estrid is predominantly a day ferry, whilst Stena Edda and Stena Embla are busiest on overnight voyages,” says Grant. “Stena Edda and Stena Embla are two of Belfast and Liverpool’s busiest hotels, with the 175 cabins on each ship being full almost every night. In 2024, Stena Line shipped record freight volumes on its Belfast routes, including Birkenhead (Liverpool). The E-Flexers have played a significant role in helping us to achieve this operational milestone.”
Stena Line’s recent launch of its Dublin to Liverpool freight route further cements the company’s commitment to providing efficient and reliable transport solutions across the Irish Sea. “Once it became clear that there was a potential opportunity for Stena Line to bid for the Dublin to Liverpool service, we moved at pace to submit our proposal and were successful,” explains Grant. “As a company, we were aware of the potential future development of the route with our previous positive experiences on our expanding Belfast to Liverpool service and so it has proved. We have performed extremely well to date and will continue to assess the future development opportunities with our customers and other stakeholders.”
The midship Sky Bar on Stena Estrid has seating for 170 people and has a large central atrium
This is just the start of things to come. In response to an increase in customer demand for services between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, Stena Line will soon introduce two new hybrid ships – Stena Connecta and Stena Futura – that will enhance freight capacity by 40 per cent on the Belfast to Heysham route. With the ability to operate on methanol fuel, these two NewMax vessels will play a key role in Stena Line’s sustainability journey. “They’re a step forward in fulfilling our strategic ambition of shifting to renewable fuels and cutting 30 per cent of our carbon dioxide emissions by 2030,” says Grant.
Overall, Stena Line has set a high bar in terms of its fleet, ports, service and onboard experience. “Our major focus now will be to keep the company at the forefront of innovation and great customer service, as you would expect from the leading ferry company on the Irish Sea,” concludes Grant.
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