Stena Line
Stena Line is a Northern European ferry operator. The company is headquartered in Sweden and is part of family owned Stena AB. Stena Line’s route network is concentrated in Scandinavia, The Baltic, The North Sea, and Irish Sea.
The company has expanded aggressively in recent decades, both organically and through acquisitions such as Sealink British Ferries and part of the Scandlines operations. Stena Line works closely with other companies within the Stena Sphere, such as Stena RoRo and R&F Travel Retail.
Following it’s takeover of Sealink British Ferries during 1990/01, Stena Line has expanded and modernised services around the British Isles.
On the Irish Sea, Stena Line runs ferries to Belfast from Liverpool (Birkenhead), Cairnryan (Loch Ryan Port), and the Freight only service from Heysham. Stena Line also runs ferries between Rosslare and both Fishguard and Cherbourg, as well as Dublin and Holyhead. The company has the largest route network on the Irish Sea.
Stena Line also has an extensive network on the North Sea, including the former railway route between Harwich and Hoek van Holland.
Bad news about the former Stena Antrim (updated)
In particularly sad news for Belfast and Northern Ireland, one of the final passenger vessels built by Harland and Wolff could soon be headed to a beach somewhere for scrapping. The Ibn Batouta (ex Stena Antrim, St Christopher) is one of 4 ferries which have been laid up in Algericas for over 2 years following the failure of owners COMARIT. The port authority is now pushing for them to be declared abandoned so they can be removed and auctioned to the highest bidder. The most likely destination considering the age and condition of the 4 ships is for scrap. Between 1991 and 1996 Stena Antrim served to Stranraer, first from Larne and then from Belfast when Stena moved there in 1995. Of the other veseels (Al Mansour, Banasa, and Boughaz) Al Mansour also served in Irish waters as Stena Nautica for both Sealink and B&I line between Fishguard and Wales. ... Read more