By
Michele Witthaus |
Established as the trading arm of the Stena Shipping group, Stena RoRo provides commercial services such as chartering and sale and purchase of ferries and ro-ro ships, as well as marine technology solutions including newbuilding and conversion projects. One of the most successful concepts Stena RoRo has presided over in the last decade is the E-Flexer RoPax platform. Popular with a wide range of operators, including Brittany Ferries, DFDS Seaways and Marine Atlantic, and with ships on order for Corsica Linea and Attica Group, this adaptable platform has found a comfortable niche in the market.
There is no single reason for E-Flexer’s continuing popularity, says Per Westling, Stena RoRo’s CEO. “I think it is a combination of a number of things. The concept is a flexible platform with a hull form that allows vessels to be significantly more efficient than the older ferries. For us, the key thing is that we enable our clients to design the ferry the way they like it, so they can fill the hull with whatever fits their purposes, both commercially and technically.”
Stena Estrid was the first E-Flexer to be built and began operating on the Irish Sea between Holyhead, Wales, and Dublin, Ireland, in January 2020
The 10 years since Stena RoRo took its first E-Flexer order have seen rapid changes taking place in the newbuild market, especially in green and environmental technology. For Stena RoRo, the most significant developments have occurred in its development of battery hybrid technology. In recent years, the company has focused on delivering optional additional battery capacity to its E-Flexer ships.
“Battery technology is developing quite fast with regard to capacity, price and weight,” says Westling. “With the battery hybrid framework we’re building now, it is up to the operator to decide at what stage to add on more batteries.”
He points out that as additional batteries can be installed down below in the existing void spaces of the ship, this can be done efficiently and with minimal disruption. “We see this as a very interesting development that offers future-proofing to operators,” he says. “The last two ro-pax ferries we designed, Brittany Ferries’ Saint Malo and Guillaume de Normandie, have had the largest batteries we have designed so far, at 12 megawatt hours each. Our clients can choose to combine these with dual fuel LNG or methanol engines. Whatever combination they choose, it will take them a long way into the future.”
The company is also looking to fill a market niche it has identified for a smaller E-Flexer, which would be a maximum of 130 to 150 metres in length.
“For certain operators providing interislander services or operating in domestic archipelagos, there is an ageing fleet, and the size of the ports means it’s not often possible to operate larger ships,” explains Westling. “We have designed a ship that would follow basically the same principle as the larger E-Flexer but with everything being a little bit more compact to fit this operational area.”
With 12 E-Flexer ships already in service and three more to come by 2026 and 2027, what does the longer-term future hold for Stena RoRo’s ferry designs?
In addition to its work in vessel electrification and alternative fuels, the company is also investing in other aspects of ship design such as wind-assisted propulsion solutions and air lubrication systems, says Westling. “But I think the battery function and design, which we have built on over the last three years, is really where you will see the big development.”
An element of the E-Flexer package whose attractiveness to customers cannot be underestimated is its affordability. The company has a long-term agreement with China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard for the construction of the vessels. “The platform offers a cost-effective way for our client to get a ship because we are cooperating with a shipyard which can maintain a competitive price without compromising on quality and delivery times,” says Westling.
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