Stena Line, Bnr. W0263-279 ved AVIC Weihai, E-Flexer "Estrid/Edda/Galicia/Embla/Côte d’Opale/Salamanca/Estelle/Ebba/Santoña/G. de Normandie/Ala’suinu"

Brittany Ferries confirms fourth new cruise-ferry, post-Brexit

Fourth new ship post-Brexit, to be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas)

Brittany Ferries has today announced the charter of a third brand new cruise-ferry to serve its long-haul routes. To be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas), the ship will be built at the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China and is due to join Brittany Ferries’ network in 2023.

As yet unnamed, the new ship will be chartered from Stena RoRo and will be built to the Swedish shipowner’s E-Flexer design. Its arrival will bring to three the number of E-Flexer class ships in Brittany Ferries’ fleet following the arrival of Galicia in 2021 and Salamanca in 2022. Brittany Ferries is also constructing another new ship, Honfleur, at the FSG shipyard in Flensburg Germany, for delivery expected in late 2019.

The charter agreement, which includes an option to purchase, represents the next step in a fleet renewal and investment programme worth around €550m. It will offer increased capacity and comfort for customers as well as employment of French seafarers.

Brittany Ferries is proud to be the largest employer of French seafarers and is committed to fleet renewal and a more sustainable future.

Like Salamanca and Honfleur, the new ship will be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). It’s a fuel which presents major environmental advantages over conventional maritime fuels, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by around 20% and cutting sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate emissions to almost zero.

Brittany Ferries’ CEO Christophe Mathieu comments: “We’re delighted to be adding another E-Flexer class cruise-ferry to our fleet. These are environmentally-friendly, capacious and comfortable ships which perfectly suit to our long-haul services.

“The charter will continue our fleet renewal plans, marking the fourth brand new ship in five years. It signals our confidence in the demand for ferry travel post-Brexit and will help us meet the needs of our passenger and freight customers in the decades to come. It also clearly demonstrates our commitment to LNG as a fuel and, our ambition to operate one of the most modern, green and comfortable ferry fleets in the world.”


The three 42,200 tonne E-Flexer class ships will be among the biggest in Brittany Ferries’ fleet. Each will be 215 metres long with 3,000 garage lane metres for freight vehicles, and capacity for around 1,000 passengers in 340 en-suite cabins.

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Illustrasjon: via Brittany Ferries
 
Will Stena order a 7th vessel at 215 metres as one of the four options they have as 2023 delivery indicate this is a new contract?
 
Hull no. W0263 to W0272 = 10 vessel -> Means there is one more ordered, but not published?
 
Stena Line’s second next generation ferry Stena Edda ‘floats out’ in China

Leading ferry company Stena Line has achieved another major milestone in its fleet investment program with the ‘float out’ ceremony of the second vessel in its next generation E-Flexer series. The second vessel will be named Stena Edda* and follows the Scandinavian heritage decided for the five new vessels that are being constructed at the Avic Weihai Shipyard in China.

Stena Edda
is scheduled to enter service on the Belfast-Liverpool route in spring 2020. This is the second of three new E-Flexer vessels bound for the Irish Sea during 2020 and 2021 which represents a significant multi-million pound investment by Stena Line in the region. The ‘float out’ ceremony started at 13.18 hrs local Weihai time today (15th April) and at 18.00 Stena Edda floated out of the dock. The timings were chosen especially because 18 is a number associated with good fortune in China.

Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson said: “It’s very exciting to follow the building process and this is another very important milestone in our rolling construction programme. This investment underscores our commitment to our operations on the Irish Sea and our determination to deliver the best possible freight and travel experience for our customers. This is a very exciting time for our business and I’m proud that as Europe’s largest ferry company, Stena Line continues help shape the industry for the next generation of freight and leisure passengers.”

At 215 metres, all three vessels being built for the Irish Sea will be larger than today’s standard RoPax vessels and will provide freight capacity of 3,100 lane meters and the space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers and crew. For the Belfast – Liverpool route capacity will increase by almost 20% compared to the current vessels in service. The next generation vessels have been designed in line with the Stena Line strategic commitment to sustainability and will be highly fuel efficient to help reduce emissions. The vessels will also feature a digitally enhanced customer experience.

Stena Edda will deliver many benefits to our freight and travel customers including faster and easier loading/unloading with drive through decks and new port infrastructures. Our latest design in cabins and further enhancement of our Scandinavian inspired interiors will make these new ships the largest, most spacious and most comfortable ever to sail between Belfast and Liverpool,”said Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Trade Director, Irish Sea North.

Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes between Britain and Ireland including Holyhead to Dublin, Fishguard to Rosslare, Liverpool/Heysham to Belfast and Cairnryan to Belfast, a total of 232 weekly sailings. The company also offers a direct service from Rosslare to Cherbourg with three return crossings a week.

In addition to the three Irish Sea bound E-Flexer vessels, Stena Line has also ordered a further two E-Flexer RoPax vessels with a larger design, to be deployed within Stena Line’s network in 2022. These larger ships will be 240 meters long with a total freight capacity of 3,600 lane meters, and passenger capacity of 1,200. Stena Lines sister company Stena RoRo is managing all the E-Flexer building projects that are ongoing on Avic Weihai Shipyard.

*Stena Edda - the Edda is an old Norse term that refers to a central medieval collection of poems and divine mythology.

"Stena Edda"
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Foto: via Stena Line
 
Namn på neste i denne serien, altså bygg nr. 266 for Stena Line på ruta Birkenhead-Belfast blir "Stena Embla"
 
Namnet på femte i denne serien som skal til DFDS får namnet "Côte d’Opale"

Blir tilpassa for kjørebroer i Calais og Dover samt ekstra thrustere for lettere manuvering i havn
 
Stena Lines nybyggda färja levererad

Stena Lines nybyggda färja Stena Estrid är nu officiellt levererad från varvet AVIC i Kina och inom kort påbörjas den sex veckor långa resan mot Europa och Irländska Sjön. Stena Estrid är den första av fem nya färjor av modellen E-Flexer, en av världens mest bränsleeffektiva färjor, som ska levereras till Stena Line under de kommande åren.

Den 15 november klockan 19.00 lokal tid vid det kinesiska varvet AVIC i Weihai är en viktig milstolpe i Stena Lines historia. Stena Line har nu officiellt mottagit leverans av sin nya färja Stena Estrid*.

Innan överlämnandet genomfördes en traditionsenlig välsignelse av fartyget under ledning av Pastor Stephen Miller från organisationen Mission to Seafarers. På plats på varvet i Kina fanns bland annat Stenas huvudägare Dan Sten Olsson och hans fru Jane, Niclas Mårtensson, VD för Stena Line, Carl-Johan Hagman, VD Stena Rederi och Per Westling, VD för Stena RoRo som både utvecklat och projektleder byggnationen av de nya E-Flexerfartygen.

Stena Lines VD Niclas Mårtensson betonade att leveransen av Stena Estrid detta är en viktig milstolpe för Stena Line och inte minst för verksamheten på Irländska Sjön som under loppet av ett år får tre nybyggda nästa generationens färjor levererade.

”Leveransen av Stena Estrid är en viktig milstolpe för Stena Line och inte minst vår verksamhet på Irländska Sjön där tre av världens mest moderna och bränsleeffektiva färjor snart är i trafik”, sa Niclas Mårtensson.

Systerfartygen Stena Edda och Stena Embla planeras att gå i trafik på linjen mellan Belfast och Liverpool under 2020 och 2021. Förutom de tre nybyggena för Irländska Sjön har Stena Line beställt ytterligare två större varianter av fartygstypen E-Flexer som ska levereras under 2022. I dagsläget har Stena Line inte offentliggjort deras destination.

På plats i Kina för att ta emot leveransen av Stena Estrid fanns också Stena Lines tekniska direktör Bjarne Koitrand och Stena Estrids nya befälhavare Matthew Lynch med besättning.

“Efter sex års planering och byggande känns det fantastiskt att äntligen få den första av våra nya fem fartyg levererade. Nu börjar förberedelserna för hemresan och snart är hon på väg hem till Irländska Sjön där hon ska gå i trafik på linjen Holyhead till Dublin i början av januari nästa år”, sa Bjarne Koitrand, Teknisk direktör på Stena Line.

Nästa generations färjor

De tre färjorna som byggs för Irländska sjön är betydligt större än sina föregångare och öka last- och passagerarkapaciteten med 20-50 % på sina nya linjer. Fartygen är 215 meter långa med 3 100 längdmeter lastkapacitet, har plats för 120 bilar och kan ta totalt 1 000 personer (passagerare + besättning). De nya färjorna ligger också i linje med Stena Lines strategiska fokus på hållbarhet och är bland världens mest bränsleeffektiva färjor och kommer att reducera utsläppen med upp till 25 % jämfört med tidigare färjor. Stena Line satsar också mycket på att erbjuda en kunderna en ny digital upplevelse ombord.

“Stena Estrid och hennes systerfartyg sätter en ny standard såväl för våra fraktkunder som för våra passagerare. Vårt skandinaviska arv syns tydligt på interiören och designen är ljus och luftig med flera stora panoramafönster. Dessutom är fartygen väldigt effektiva, både när det gäller lastning och lossning, men även när det gäller bränsleförbrukningen som är betydligt lägre än motsvarande färjor idag, säger Niclas Mårtensson., VD på Stena Line.

*Namnet Stena Estrid är kopplat till Stena Lines skandinaviska ursprung och betyder skön eller älskad.

Kilde: Stena Lina
 
She’s here!!! Stena Estrid arrives in Holyhead
Dec 23, 2019

Stena Line’s newest ferry completes her 10,000 mile journey from China to Irish Sea

STENA Line’s newest ferry Stena Estrid arrived in Holyhead this morning (Monday) after a five-week 10,000 mile journey from the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in north-western China, where she was built.

The first of five next generation Stena Line RoPax vessels to be completed at the shipyard, Stena Estrid sailed into the Welsh port at approximately 7.00am, following a brief stop in Dublin last night for a successful berthing trial.

Now Estrid will undergo final preparations before starting service on the Holyhead to Dublin route in mid-January.

Manned by a much-reduced crew of 27, with no passengers on board, Estrid has just completed an incredible voyage of well over 10,000 miles, with a number of stops along the way to refuel and stock up on fresh provisions.

The first stage of the journey was a 2,657 nautical miles trip to Singapore, from where she progressed through the Malacca Straits to Galle in Sri Lanka, before crossing the Indian Ocean and making its way up through the Suez Canal.

A trip across the Mediterranean Sea took Stena Estrid to Algeciras where she was joined by Onboard Sales and Services crew members to undertake familiarisation training during the final leg of her journey, which saw her travel through the Atlantic Ocean and across the Bay of Biscay before finally arriving at her new home in Holyhead this morning.

Speaking on arrival in Holyhead, Senior Master Matthew Lynch said: “After six years of planning and construction, and five weeks of sailing around the world, it’s hard to believe that we’re finally here in Holyhead.

“It’s been an amazing journey for all of us and I must say that I’m blown away by Estrid. – from the way she looks, the quality of the build and finish, the facilities on board and. Of course, how she handles herself at sea.

“Anyone who knows me knows that my expectations are always very high and Estrid has far exceeded them! I’ve worked on passenger vessels for 24 years - seven on cruise ships and 17 on ferries - and this ship really is revolution not evolution,” he added.

“During our 10,000 mile trip, she’s been smooth, quiet, comfortable and very capable - performing well in all the conditions we faced. Now, we are so excited to be ‘home’ and look forward to welcoming the rest of my crew on board to see their reaction to Estrid! I am confident they will be just as impressed as I am with the ship.

“We really cannot wait to see how the ship is received by our guests when we embark on our maiden voyage to Dublin in a few weeks’ time. I believe they are going to be blown away by it!” he added.

At 215 metres in length, Stena Estrid has the space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers, with a freight capacity of 3,100 lane meters, meaning a 50 per cent increase in freight tonnage,.

A further two of the new ferries are also destined for the Irish Sea with Stena Edda expected to commence operations from Liverpool to Belfast next spring, and a third vessel Stena Embla to be introduced on the same route in early 2021.

The introduction of these two ships will increase freight capacity on the Liverpool to Belfast route by 20 per cent.

STENA ESTRID FAST-FACTS

The name Estrid is connected to Stena Line’s Scandinavian heritage. It is an Old Norse eastern-Nordic version of the name Astrid. Estrid is commonly found on old runestones and means ‘divinely beautiful’.

BuilderAVIC Weihai Shipyard Co (Weihai, China)
TypeRo-Pax ship
Ferry route / homeportsDublin-Holyhead
OperatorSTENA LINE
Speed22 kn / 41 kph / 25 mph
Length (LOA)215 m / 705 ft
Beam (width)28 m / 92 ft
Gross Tonnage41,671 gt
Lane Metres3,100
Passengers1,000
Cars120
Freight vehicles210
Cabins175
Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes between Britain and Ireland including Holyhead to Dublin, Fishguard to Rosslare, Cairnryan to Belfast, Liverpool to Belfast, and Heysham to Belfast routes, a total of 232 weekly sailing options. Stena Line also offers a direct service between Rosslare to Cherbourg with three return crossings a week.

"Stena Estrid"
lt72au5jyr0qn5weyavk.jpg

Foto: via Stena Line
 
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