Update 29.11.19 @ 08:40: STENA ESTRID has completed the first leg of her journey to Europe and is at anchor off Singapore. She appears to be taking on bunkers from the tanker SENTEK 32.
Stena Line’s newest ferry, STENA ESTRID, left the CMI Jinling (Weihai) shipyard a short time ago under the command of Senior Master Matthew Lynch, for the first leg of her journey to the Irish Sea. The recently completed vessel left the yard at around 16:20 local time (08:20 GMT) with a destination of Singapore. Her journey via the Suez Canal is expected to take around six weeks in total.
STENA ESTRID is expected to enter service between Dublin and Holyhead during January once all final checks have been made and crew training and familiarisation completed. The new ship is said to be up to 27% more efficient per lane metre of freight than current vessels. Efficiency was a key theme of the design of STENA ESTRID, with her reduced fuel consumption alone potentially saving 1300 tons of fuel per year according to Chinese media. The new ferry achieved 22.4 knots at design draft during her sea trials, slightly exceeding the design specification of 22kts.
Passenger facilities onboard STENA ESTRID include a Stena Plus premium lounge, Hygge recline lounge, Taste restaurant, two cinemas, a shopping outlet, and a “sky bar” with a large glass atrium. Freight drivers will also be catered for with a large dedicated restaurant and lounge, while the ship also boasts 175 cabins including six deluxe cabins with balconies. The new ship will ultimately replace STENA SUPERFAST X in the Stena Line fleet.
STENA ESTRID is the first of at least nine new E-Flexer class ferries ordered from the same Chinese shipyard by Stena RoRo. Sister company Stena Line is taking five of the vessels, with the second and fourth (STENA EDDA and STENA EMBLA) entering service on the Belfast – Liverpool (Birkenhead) route during 2020 and 2021 respectively. To find out more about the Stena E-Flexer class, visit our dedicated overview here.
