The Stena shipping group has again developed another new type of ship. Two newbuilds of the “C-Flexer” were immediately ordered in China.
After the so-called “E-Flexer” in particular caused a stir in the industry in recent years and was integrated into the fleet through various newbuild orders from different shipping companies, Stena recently launched the “Newmax” type on the market. Now the C-Flexer follows.
The shipping group has placed an order for C-type vessels for its subsidiary Stena RoRo. In addition, an option for four further newbuildings has been agreed with the Chinese shipyard China Merchants Industry (CMI) Weihai. “This order marks an important step in the company’s long-term strategy of offering flexible and future-proof RoRo vessels for the global market,” reads a statement from the Swedish company, which also has tankers in its fleet in addition to RoRo and RoPax shipping. The ships were developed by Stena RoRo in close cooperation with the Italian design office NAOS Ship and Boat Design.
“With our experience and market knowledge as well as NAOS’ outstanding expertise in designing fuel-efficient RoRo and RoPax vessels, we have developed ships that are built for today and designed for the future,” said CEO Per Westling enthusiastically. The first two C-Flexer RoRo vessels are scheduled for delivery in March and June 2029. The optional ships may follow at three-month intervals.
The ships will be built by CMI Weihai, with whom the shipping company has a long-standing relationship. In the past ten years, Stena has ordered 17 ships there. The collaboration began in 2016 with an order for four E-Flexer RoPax ships and now comprises a total of 15 ships, 12 of which have already been delivered. In addition, two RoRo ships of the Stena NewMax concept have been delivered.
According to the shipping company, the new C-Flexer design is intended to ensure a high degree of flexibility, enabling Stena RoRo to offer customers ships that are tailored to their specific operational requirements. A modern hull design, multi-fuel engines and a scalable battery hybrid system are cited as key features. “The C-Flexer will be fully battery-powered in the future. Until then, the installed diesel-battery hybrid system will provide the necessary flexibility and redundancy for many years to come,” concludes Per Westling.
The data
- Length: 200 m
- Width: 31 m
- Load capacity: approx. 15,000 t
- Draught: 7.5 m
- Speed: 21 kn
- Length (3-deck version): 3,400 lane meters
- Length (4-deck version): 4,750 lane meters
