The Swedish shipping company Stena Line celebrated the keel laying of the first newbuilding in the “NewMax” series – and revealed the name.
Stena will receive a total of two new RoRo ships of this type from the Chinese shipyard China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai.
They are to be deployed on the Belfast-Heysham route and are an “important milestone” in the fleet investment program, the shipping company announced. At the same time, the name of the ferry was announced: “Stena Futura”.
The hybrid ships can run on methanol and are intended to significantly increase capacity on the route. In addition to running on methanol, a priority in the construction of the ships is to incorporate technologies that can use both battery propulsion and shore power, if this is available.
Second Stena-newbuild is expected in 2025
The keel laying of the second of the two NewMax vessels is scheduled for this fall, and the name of the vessel is yet to be announced. The newbuildings are scheduled to enter service in 2025.
Stena Line is one of Europe’s leading ferry companies with around 40 ships and 20 routes in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The company is family-owned, was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Gothenburg.
