Stena Continues Fleet Modernization with Order for New, Larger Ro-Ro Design

Stena Line, which is one of the Europe’s largest ferry operators and a pioneer nearly 50 years ago of the cargo Ro-Ro, is accelerating its fleet modernization with news of a larger Ro-Ro based on its successful current designs. Stena has signed a letter of intent with China Merchant Industries for up to six new cargo Ro-Ros extending its long relationship with the Chinese shipbuilder.

Per Westling, CEO of Stena RoRo said, “These ships will be built for today and designed for tomorrow.” The vessels will be for Stena RoRo, which the company says has for a long time been underinvested.

The new design, which it is calling C-Flexer, will have a capacity of between 3,000 and 4,700 lane meters based on two concepts, one with three decks and one with four. They will be larger than the current vessel, Stena Connecta, which was named last week in China and has 2,800 lane meters.

The company explains that C-Flexer expands on the experience with the E-Flexer and New Max designs. It will feature a combination of a highly efficient hull form, engines ready for future fuels, and an expandable hybrid batter design. The ships will be 200 meters (656 feet) in length and able to travel at up to 21 knots. The letter of intent is structure as 2+2+2.

Stena Connecta was named last week in China (Stena Line)

Last week, Stena named its newest vessel the Stena Connecta, a New Max RoRo, built at CMI Shipyard in Weihai, China. Named on October 16, the ship is scheduled to enter service in January 2026 on the route crossing the Irish Sea from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Heysham, England north of Blackpool. She is a sister to the Stena Futura, which entered service in September. When both ships are in service, Stena will have increased capacity 40 percent on the route.

A New Max RoRo, the Stena Connecta is built for maximized freight capacity, with 2,800 lane meters across its 147-meter (482-foot) length. It uses a multi-hybrid propulsion system enabling the use of battery power, biofuel, and methanol and has two 28x4 meter Norsepower Rotor Sails that can save up to nine percent in fuel on its Irish Sea route.

Stena highlights that it is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, with its fleet poised to reach 13 vessels with the introduction of the Stena Connecta. The company has been operating on the Irish Sea for 30 years and is part of a broader operation of approximately 40 vessels and 20 routes in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.