Ferry InformationNorthern Ireland Ferries (current)
Stena Embla | Stena Line
Stena Embla Fast Facts
| Current Name: Stena Embla | Previous Names: ZHAO SHANG 266 / China Merchants Jinling W0266 [yard names] |
| Shipyard: China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co. Ltd. [CN], W0266, W0266 | IMO Number: 9807322 |
| Current Operator: Stena Line Irish Sea Ferries Ltd, Birkenhead, England | Current Route: Belfast [NI] - Liverpool (Birkenhead) [GB] |
| Length Overall: | Beam: |
| Passenger Capacity: 927 (1000 including crew) | Vehicle Capacity: 3,100 lane metres of freight (plus 120 passenger cars in their own dedicated garage on deck 7) |
| Tonnage: | Sister-ships: STENA ESTRID * , STENA EDDA * (* Stena Embla is built to a slightly different design but is virtually identical from a passenger perspective) |
Stena Embla Introduction
Stena Embla is the second of two brand-new ferries being introduced on the Belfast to Liverpool (Birkenhead) route by Stena Line in 2020 and 2021. She is the third of five new “next-generation” E-Flexer class ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for service with sister-company Stena Line. Stena Embla is a slightly modified sister to the first two vessels in the series, STENA ESTRID and STENA EDDA.
From the start of steel cutting to delivery, STENA EMBLA took 25 months to construct. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the shipyard and suppliers, STENA EMBLA was delivered on-time in November 2020. Senior Master Captain Neil Whittaker took delivery of the vessel with his team. Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson took part in the delivery via video link from Gothenburg due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
STENA EMBLA made her first arrival in the UK at Holyhead, where she called for a couple of hours in the early hours of January 2. At around 11:45 the same day she arrived at Belfast, completing her month-long delivery voyage from China.
During February 2021, STENA EMBLA indirectly replaced STENA MERSEY on the Belfast – Liverpool (Birkenhead) route. As a result, she will operate opposite sister-ship STENA EDDA on the route, and STENA MERSEY will go for rebuilding in Turkey. Once completed, ‘Mersey’ will join her sister-ship STENA LAGAN on the Baltic Sea Ventspils – Nynashamn route.
Embla?
Stena Line are using a new naming scheme with their E-Flexer vessels, choosing to use female Nordic names beginning with “E” with the usual Stena prefix. The names of the first three vessels were chosen via a staff competition. According to Stena Line, Embla:
Onboard Passenger Facilities
The passenger facilities on STENA EMBLA are virtually identical to STENA ESTRID and STENA EDDA. Like those ships, passenger facilities are spread out over 4 decks as follows.
Public facilities are housed on Deck’s 7 and 8. The latter of these also houses approximately half of the passenger cabins. Deck 9 is a cabin and crew deck while Deck 10 is at the top of the ship and has a passenger accessible sun deck.
A total of 175 passenger cabins are provided including six deluxe cabins and disabled cabins. This is a significant increase in the number of cabins provided on STENA MERSEY.
Outside deck space is plentiful, with promenade decks on both sides of deck 7, a sun deck on deck 10, and outside decks aft on decks 8 and 9. The spaces on decks 8 and 9 also double up as balconies for the deluxe cabins.
For a detailed impression of how STENA EMBLA looks inside, see our first look inside Stena Estrid feature. STENA EMBLA is virtually identical to her sisters, with only minor cosmetic changes inside. The photos below are from sister-ships STENA ESTRID and STENA EDDA. These will be replaced when detailed photos of STENA EMBLA become available.
Internal Layout plan
Stena Embla Deck 7 Facilities and Layout Plan
- Dedicated car deck with direct walk-through access to the passenger facilities.
- Guest Services.
- ‘Barista’ Coffee House.
- Outlet Onboard (shop).
- ‘Happy World’ children’s play area and lounge.
- ‘Taste’ restaurant with digital menu boards.
- Two outside promenade decks with smoking section (port / starboard).
- Twelve temperature controlled enclosed dog kennels with owner access via key code, CCTV, and outside exercise area.
- Male, Female, and Disabled Toilets and Baby Changing area.
- Free Wi-Fi access.
Stena Embla Deck 7 Plan
Stena Embla Deck 8 Facilities and Layout Plan
- ‘Stena Plus’ premium lounge (additional fee applies) with table service and dedicated toilet facilities.
- ‘Hygge’ recline lounge (additional fee applies).
- Interactive ‘Experience wall’.
- The ‘Living Room’ lounge.
- ‘Truckers’ commercial drivers lounge and restaurant.
- Video games and gaming area.
- ‘Happy World’ children’s play room.
- The ‘Sky Bar’ bar and lounge.
- Two separate free movie lounges.
- A selection of passenger cabins including three deluxe cabins with balcony access and disabled cabin. All cabins are secured using a digital ‘VingCard’ system and have a ‘BazePort’ infotainment TV system installed.
- Male, Female, and Disabled Toilets.
- Free Wi-Fi access.
- Outside deck space aft.
Stena Embla Deck 8 Plan
Stena Embla Deck 9 Facilities and Layout Plan
- A selection of passenger cabins including three deluxe cabins with balcony access and a disabled cabin. All cabins are secured using a digital ‘VingCard’ system and have a ‘BazePort’ infotainment TV system installed.
- The remainder of Deck 9 is occupied by crew accommodation areas and the navigation bridge.
- Free Wi-Fi access.
- Outside deck space aft.
- Crew facilities and cabins
Stena Embla Deck 9 Plan
Stena Embla Deck 10 Facilities and Layout Plan
- Sun Deck.
Stena Embla Deck 10 Plan
Key Dates – Stena Embla
| 11.03.2016 | Contract date 1 |
| 05.04.2016 | Stena confirms that an order has been signed by Stena RoRo for 4 “E-Flexer” ferries plus four options at AVIC Weihai. The fourth of these would become Stena Embla. |
| 15.10.2018 | Steel cutting started |
| 18.04.2019 | Keel laid |
| 15.11.2019 | Floated out and outfitting started |
| 15.10.2020 | Start of sea trials |
| 18.10.2020 | Sea trials completed |
| 18.11.2020 / 19.11.2020 | Vessel completion and delivery |
| 19.11.2020 | Switched from UK to Cypriot registry. Home port now Limassol (previously Liverpool) |
| 01.12.2020 | Stena Embla sets sail from Weihai to Europe |
| 07.12.2020 | Arrival in Singapore to take on supplies and bunkers |
| 08.12.2020 | Left Singapore for Galle, Sri Lanka |
| 12.12.2020 | Outside port limits call at Galle to take on armed guard for transit to Suez Canal |
| Started transit of the Suez Canal | |
| 28.12.2020 / 29.12.2020 | Stena Embla’s first arrival in Europe (Algeciras) |
| 02.01.2021 | First arrival in the UK (Holyhead) |
| 02.01.2021 | First arrival in Belfast |
| 14.01.2021 | Entry into commercial service (Rosslare – Cherbourg) |
| January 2021 | First commercial arrival in Belfast and first sailing direct to Birkenhead |
Stena Embla Technical Data
| Stena Embla | |
| IMO Number | 9807322 |
| Callsign | MGGH4 |
| Class | Stena “E-Flexer” Passenger and Ro-Ro Cargo (Ro-Pax) ferry |
| Building Yard | China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co., Ltd., Shandong Province, China (previously known as AVIC Weihai Shipyard Co., Ltd) |
| Hull Number | W0266 |
| Design | Stena RoRo / Deltamarin |
| Naval Architect | Deltamarin, Turku, Finland |
| Project Management | Stena RoRo Deltamarin (EPCM) |
| Contract Date | Ordered by Stena RoRo on March 11, 2016 1. (Part of a contract for 4 initial vessels with options for a further 2 + 2) Order announced on April 5, 2016 |
| Completion / Delivery | |
| Hull Number | W0266 |
Certification | DNV GL Class 1A Type: 410 – Car Ferry |
| Additional Class Notations | 1A Ferry(A) BIS BWM(T) Clean COMF(V-2) E0 Gas ready(D, MEC) Ice(1A) NAUT(AW) Recyclable TMON VIBR1 |
| Current Operator | Stena Line Irish Sea Ferries Ltd, Birkenhead, England |
| Vessel Management | Stena Line |
| In service (Stena Line) | |
| Usual Route | Belfast [NI] - Liverpool (Birkenhead) [GB] |
| Length Overall | 214.481 m 1 |
| Length B.P. | 202.518 m 1 |
| Beam | 27.297 m (28.436 extreme) 1 |
| Draught | 6.7 m 1 |
Gross Tonnage | 41,671 GT 1 |
| Deadweight | 7,700 1 |
| Number of Decks | 10 (3 passenger decks plus sun deck) |
| Main Propulsion | Main-propulsion package supplied by Caterpillar Marine including 2 x Caterpillar MaK 12 M43 C V12 4-stroke marine diesel propulsion engines built by Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Rostock, Germany. Each main engine is coupled to a Caterpillar supplied gearbox (Renk RSHL-1120). 2 x Caterpillar (Berg) Feathering Controllable-Pitch Propellers MPP 1410f (PB58547). This ship is Gas Ready and also prepared for scrubber and catalytic converter installation should it be required. Spaces for additional equipment for these retrofits have been included in the design. While the installed engines are “Gas Ready”, in order to run with Methanol or LNG these engines will require upgrading to MaK 12 M46 dual-fuel specification. |
| Other Machinery | 3 x Wärtsilä 8L20 auxiliary engines, supplied by Wärtsila Finland Oy. 2 x Wärtsila WTT24 CP 2,400kW bow thrusters, supplied by Wärtsilä Netherlands (space provision is made for the addition of a third bow thruster should it be required in the future) 1 x S12A2-M(P)TA Emergency Generator, supplied by Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine Europe B.V.
2 x “high lift” EMPRESS-EMPIRE (fully twisted leading edge and bulb, combined with a rudder flap) rudders, supplied by MM-Offshore GmbH, Germany (For increased efficiency, the propeller hubs are integrated into the rudder bulbs) 2 x Mitsubishi retractable fin stabilisers |
| Power (Max) | 25,200 kW |
| Design Speed | 22 kts |
Passenger Capacity | 927 (1000 including crew) |
| Crew | 73 * (* figure quoted by Stena for standard layout) |
| Passenger Cabins | 175 passenger cabins, consisting of; 167 x four-berth cabins, 6 x two-berth premium “deluxe” cabins, and 2 x two-berth disabled cabins. In total 684 passenger cabin berths are provided. |
Vehicle capacity | 3,100 lane metres of freight (on decks 1, 3, and 5) plus 120 cars on an additional deck (Deck 7) |
| Lane Metre Breakdown | Deck 1 (lower hold): 345 lm approx. with 4.8m free height. Deck 3 (main freight deck): 1,320 lm approx. with 5.2m free height. Deck 5 (upper freight deck): 1,435 lm approx. with 5.2m free height. Deck 7 (car garage) has a volume of 1,800 m2 approx. |
| Vehicle access | Twin-level-drive-through loading configuration with direct access via bow and stern doors on decks 3 and 5. Tilting ramps between deck 3 and 5, and deck 5 and 7 allow all decks to be accessed via single-level shoreside facilities. Access to deck 1 is via a 3.3m wide fixed ramp covered by a hatch. |
| Flag state (port) | |
| As-built sister-ships | STENA ESTRID * , STENA EDDA * (* Stena Embla is built to a slightly different design but is virtually identical from a passenger perspective) |
Key Supplier Information
| Shipyard | China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co., Ltd., China (Previously known as AVIC Weihai Shipyard Co., Ltd) |
| Design and Overall Concept | Stena RoRo, Sweden |
| Consulting Naval Architect | Deltamarin, Finland |
| Hull Design | Deltamarin, Finland |
| Tank Testing | MARIN, Netherlands |
| Technical Consultant | Stena Teknik, Sweden |
| Project Management | Stena RoRo, Sweden / China |
| Engineering, Procurement, & Construction Management | Deltamarin, Finland / China |
| Interior Architecture | Figura Arkitekter, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Interior Design | Figura Arkitekter, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Certification Society | DNV-GL, Norway |
| Outfitting | R&M (Reinhold & Mahla), Hamburg, Germany / Weihai, China |
| Additional Outfitting | Norgi Marine, Poland / Madden Marine, Belfast |
| Main Engines | Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG (MaK), Germany |
| Gearbox and Controllable Pitch Propellers | Caterpillar Marine / Caterpillar Propulsion Production, Sweden (Packaged gearbox’s manufactured by Renk, Germany) |
| Variable-Frequency Shaft Generators and Electrical Switchboard | We Tech, Finland |
| Auxiliary Engines | Wärtsilä, Finland (Manufactured in China) |
| Bow Thrusters | Wärtsilä Netherlands B.V., Netherlands |
| Emergency Generator | Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine Europe B.V., Netherlands |
| Stabilisers | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co. , Ltd. |
| Rudders | MM-Offshore GmbH, Oldenburg, Germany |
| Steering Gear | Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine, Norway |
| Access Equipment (including all ramps) | TTS Marine AB, Sweden / Finland |
| Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning | Novenco, Denmark / China (package includes chillers AHU, VAV cabin units, fans and all control systems) |
| Glazing | Saint-Gobain S.A., France |
| Galley Equipment | Aluminox S.A., Greece |
| Furniture | Various (including R&M; Capdell, Spain; vitra, Switzerland; and bespoke joinery by the outfitting teams) |
| Lifts | Kone, Finland |
| Lifeboats | Jiangsu Jiaoyan Marine Equipment Co., Ltd, China |
| Fast Rescue Boat | Jiangsu Jiaoyan Marine Equipment Co., Ltd, China |
| Davits | Jiangsu Jiaoyan Marine Equipment Co., Ltd, China |
| Marine Evacuation System | Survitec / RFD Beaufort, United Kingdom |
| Fire fighting Equipment | Minimax / Marioff |
| Simulator Training | Liverpool John Moores University Maritime Centre, England |
Stena Embla Gallery
Sources & Further Reading
- Holtoff, P. (2019). Shippax Info March 19, pp. 7-23
- https://www.ship-technology.com/projects/stena-e-flexer-ropax-ferry/
- https://www.stenaroro.com/cases/newbuild/
- https://www.niferry.co.uk/stena-e-flexer-new-stena-ropax-ferries/
- Vesselregister.dnvgl.com. 2020. DNV GL Vessel Register. [online] Available at: <https://vesselregister.dnvgl.com/vesselregister/vesselregister.html> [Accessed 19 November 2020].[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]