Tenth E-Flexer confirmed as going to Canadian operator
Following a competitive procurement process, Canadian operator Marine Atlantic has selected a variant of Stena’s E-Flexer series as its next new ferry. The ship, which will be a dual-fuel (diesel or LNG) battery hybrid design, is expected to be delivered during 2024. She will be the tenth E-Flexer ferry to be completed.
Marine Atlantic’s announcement yesterday came just a day after Brittany Ferries revealed that it had opted to order a further two E-Flexer vessels, adding to the three that it has already had delivered or are in construction.
A new E-Flexer variant
The Marine Atlantic E-Flexer will be 202.9m long, a derivative that was developed specifically for the company. This is shorter than the standard 214.5m design but longer than the 194.7m-long version Brittany Ferries has opted for with its two latest examples. As with all ferries in the E-Flexer series to date, the new Marine Atlantic vessel will be built by China Merchants Jinling (Weihai). That shipyard has already delivered five of the series in less than two years.
Accommodation will be provided for a total of 1,000 passengers. The ship will be equipped with 146 passenger cabins (including pet friendly cabins) and 40 passenger sleeping pods. In terms of passenger facilities, there will be a variety of food service options, seating lounges, a children’s play area, and pet kennels. Marine Atlantic’s new ferry will be able to run on either marine diesel or LNG. The ship will also be fitted with batteries to allow limited totally emission free running.
Gary O’Brien, Chair, Board of Directors, Marine Atlantic said:
“As an essential service and vital part of the national supply chain, this new vessel will play an important role in helping us to continue to meet the needs of our customers. The design of the vessel combines key priorities such as maneuverability, safety, accessibility, while minimizing environmental impacts, to provide our customers with a modern, efficient and reliable service.”
https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-roro-orders-its-tenth-e-flexer-ropax-ferry,c3387931
According to Marine Atlantic, their new ferry will be suitable for both of its routes linking North Sydney with Port aux Basques and Argentia. The company has not yet confirmed which vessel in its current fleet the new build will be replacing.
About Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic is a Canadian federal Crown corporation which provides ferry services linking Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Funding for the vessel was provided in the Canadian Governments 2019 budget. In line with the terms of that funding, Marine Atlantic will charter the new ship for five years. At the end of the five year period the company will have the option to purchase the ferry outright.
Stena has a long relationship with Marine Atlantic dating back to the early 1970’s when the Swedish company chartered ferries to Marine Atlantic predecessor CN Marine. Three of Marine Atlantic’s current fleet of four vessels were purchased from Stena RoRo after charters – HIGHLANDERS (ex STENA TRAVELLER), BLUE PUTTEES (ex STENA TRADER), and LEIF ERICSON (ex STENA CHALLENGER). The fourth vessel in the fleet, ATLANTIC VISION, is chartered from AS Tallink Grupp.
Confirming the charter agreement, Per Westling, managing director for Stena RoRo, highlighted the company’s history in providing tonnage to Marine Atlantic:
“Marine Atlantic is a former customer of ours,”
“We delivered one ferry in 2000 and two more in 2010 to Marine Atlantic, all of which are still in service. We were successful in executing this new charter contract after a very competitive and extensive procurement process. We are extremely pleased to be able to continue to deliver high quality ships to this important customer”.
https://www.marineatlantic.ca/media-galleries/media-releases/marine-atlantic-enters-agreement-charter-new-vessel
Fellow Swedish company Rederi AB Gotland was the other bidder to make it to the final round of the procurement process.
New Marine Atlantic Ferry At A Glance
| Marine Atlantic | Brittany Ferries (St. Malo) | Brittany Ferries (Caen) | |
| E-Flexer No | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| Length | 202.9m | 194.7m | 194.7m |
| Breadth | 27.8m | 27.8m | 27.8m |
| Passengers | 1,000 (plus approx. 100 crew) | 1,290 | 1,310 |
| Cabins | 146 (plus 40 sleeping pods) | 386 | 220 |
| Vehicle Space | 2 571 lane metres (including 476 lane metres for private cars) | 2,377 lane metres (including 176 lane metres for private cars) | (including 1,388 lane metres for private cars) |
| Propulsion | Diesel or LNG with batteries | LNG Electric hybrid | LNG Electric hybrid |
| Delivery | 2024 | Late 2025 | Late 2024 |
