Swedish shipping company Stena RoRo has ordered two more multi-fuel E-Flexer roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) vessels at China’s CMI Jinling, Weihai Shipyard. The vessels will go on a long-term charter with Greek shipping company Attica Group.
The vessels will have an overall length of 240 meters and operate in the Adriatic Sea.
The newbuilds will be equipped with multi-fuel engines that can run on conventional marine fuel or biodiesel. They will also be methanol-ready and carry a battery notation, meaning they could utilize batteries as a means of propulsion, partly or completely, depending on the battery development in the future.
Ships in the E-Flexer series are based on a concept with larger vessels than today’s standard RoPax ferries and come with optimized design of the hull, propellers, and rudders, with possibilities to incorporate new environmentally friendly technologies.
The newly-ordered multi-fuel RoPax vessels are the fourteenth and fifteenth units in Stena RoRo’s E-Flexer series.
The ships are scheduled for delivery in April and August 2027, respectively. Upon delivery, they will be deployed by Attica Group under a 10-year bareboat charter scheme.
The agreement includes a purchase option from the end of the fifth year of the hire period and a potential option for two additional vessels.
Panos Dikaios , CEO of Attica Group, commented: “For three decades, the Attica Group has been renewed through the design and construction of new vessels. The Superfast series redefined the Adriatic ferry market in terms of quality and speed, the sister vessels Blue Star Patmos and Blue Star Delos significantly upgraded the travel experience on the Aegean Sea routes and the latest addition, the three state-of-the-art Aero Highspeed, have already contributed substantially to the increase of visitors to the Saronic Islands.
“Our agreement with Stena RoRo for the charter of two new state-of-the-art vessels, sets new standards for the entire Greek ferry industry. It drastically reduces our environmental footprint, redefines the travel experience and responds dynamically to the challenges of tomorrow.”
Per Westling , VD Stena RoRo, stated: “The E-Flexer vessels to Attica have been jointly designed and ordered as the most bespoke E-Flexers so far. The design is extremely versatile, and the ships will, with their inherent flexibility of different fuels, battery hybrid operation and many other fuel saving features, play an important role in the green transition of the Attica Superfast Adriatic RoPax service.”
Stena RoRo currently has 15 confirmed orders for E-Flexer vessels and two so-called “New Max” RoRo vessels, at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard. Ten ships have been delivered.