[PR] Stena RoRo acquires RoPax vessel in Japan

By: Steven Tarbox
Date:
Last updated:
Hankyu Ferry's YAMATO (since renamed STENA NOVA) at sea. Hankyu Ferry
Hankyu Ferry's YAMATO (since renamed STENA NOVA) at sea. Hankyu Ferry

Stena RoRo has purchased the ferry Yamato from the Japanese shipping company Hankyu Ferry.  The vessel will be rebuilt at a shipyard in Europe and be fully adapted to European standards, after which it will be chartered out. This process will begin in spring 2020 and the ferry is estimated to be in traffic by the summer.

An artists impression of how YAMATO could look if repainted into Stena RoRo livery once she has been converted. Stena RoRo.
An artists impression of how YAMATO could look if repainted into Stena RoRo livery once she has been converted. Stena RoRo.

“This is a typical Stena RoRo project. Through adaptation and flexibility, we design and rebuild vessels to meet our customers’ specific requirements. It’s what we call Stenability”, comments Mikael Abrahamsson, Conversion and Project Manager for Stena RoRo. 

“On the European market, demand is greater than availability for this type of vessel, which is why we have turned to the Asian market, primarily Japan”, concludes Per Westling, CEO Stena RoRo. 

Facts: Length 195 m; Width 26.4 m; Draft 6.85m; Speed 23.5 knots; Lane metres 2 350
Build year 2003 

NIFS Comment: Stena RoRo is a sister company of Stena Line, but this does not mean that Stena Line will ever operate this vessel.  Stena RoRo also provides ships to a number of operators (including sometimes to competitors of Stena Line) and have a history of acquiring and converting vessels for operators outside the Stena group, such as Marine Atlantic in Canada, Kiwi Rail/Interislander in New Zealand, and even Brittany Ferries and DFDS who are both to charter Stena E-Flexer Ro-Pax’s from the company. P&O Ferries, DFDS, Brittany Ferries, Balearia, Adria Ferries, and many others have chartered vessels from Stena RoRo in recent years. Given the characteristics of this vessel which was built for the Japanese market it is perhaps more likely that YAMATO will end up in service in Southern European rather than Northern European waters after conversion.

Source: http://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-roro-acquires-ropax-vessel-in-japan,c2743683


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