The vessel is the third of five new next-generation E-Flexer RoPax vessels being designed as part of a comprehensive modernization of the company's fleet at the CMI Jinling Weihai Shipyard. This is the last of the three new vessels due for the Irish Sea, marking the conclusion of a seven-year construction program totalling an investment of £ 400 million in the region's new ferries and port infrastructure.

The vessel is now going to embark on a six-week trip to the UK. The other two new E-Flexer ferries installed in Weihai, Stena Estrid and Stena Embla, which began operations earlier this year, will be accompanied by their sister vessels in Ireland, where they will begin service in January 2021.

Due to the pandemic, the handover with Stena Embla's Senior Master Neil Whittaker and his squad, taking delivery in China, was a less significant affair than previous vessels.

“Today marks the end of seven years' hard work. We are delighted to take ownership of the third new ship on schedule. With the new crew in place they can start the long journey to the Irish Sea, where Stena Embla will begin serving customers in the UK and Ireland," said the company’s COO Peter Arvidsson.

Among the most advanced and fuel-efficient vessels in service, the latest Stena Line E-Flexer ships are far larger than the regular RoPax vessels of today. Stena Embla will have 3,100 lane meters of freight capacity at a length of 215 meters, representing a 40 percent rise in freight tonnage, and space to hold 120 cars and 1,000 passengers and crew.

With a total length of 240 metres, the remaining two E-Flexer vessels under construction in China are even larger versions.

Maritime Business World