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Second largest ever vessel for Larne Port
Stena Line adds extra freight capacity to its Belfast - Liverpool service
In response to growing market demand, Stena Line has increased its freight capacity on the popular Belfast – Liverpool route by initially deploying the 3,000 lane metre Stena Forerunner vessel before replacing it with a similar ship early in 2019 at which point the Stena Forerunner will return to service in the North Sea.
Stena Line’s CEO Niclas Mårtensson said: “Demand for freight capacity from Belfast continues to increase and we believe it is vital that Stena Line provides the necessary capacity and frequency to enable that expansion to flourish. Stena Line will continue to operate seven vessels on its three routes to and from Belfast serving Cairnryan, Heysham and Liverpool and the introduction of the Stena Forerunner will provide us with greater capacity and flexibility to service market demand. Paul Grant, Stena Line Trade Director, commented: “This latest investment by Stena Line yet again highlights our commitment to the
freight market. This year we’re experiencing strong growth of 6% on our Belfast – Liverpool route. Future plans for the introduction of two new build ferries on this service during spring 2020 and early 2021, combine to demonstrate a significant long-term commitment to the region by Stena Line. “Belfast is now firmly established as the preferred hub for Northern Ireland freight. Stena Line’s unique ability to offer reliability, frequency and choice of routes for the accompanied and unaccompanied segments from a single location is a big advantage for the freight industry.”
Second Largest Vessel Ever to Arrive at Port of Larne
The Port of Larne, one of the busiest ports on the Irish Sea capable of handling a wide range of cargoes and ships, welcomed the CPO Germany into port recently for routine maintenance.
The vessel, which regularly delivers products across Europe and farther afield, is understood to be the biggest single screw tanker ever with an overall length of 184 metres, nearly 20 metres longer than ships normally handled by the port. Anthony Van Damme, Harbour Master Port of Larne said: “The Port of Larne continues to build a reputation for the versatile approach we take in accommodating ships of all sizes and in managing an increasing amount of cargo, project, maintenance and other non-ferry related work. “The vessels arrival required some quick and thorough planning from Larne Harbour staff, in particular the Marine and engineering departments, the ships agent, Larne Pilots, towage provider and linesmen. With just one engine, the tanker is not as easily manoeuvrable as the regular ferries that call into Larne and therefore required a considerable amount of support to enable it to come into port safely but we have a first class team here focused on providing speedy solutions to customers and the whole process went very smoothly and safely.” The Doyle Shipping Group were tasked by the owners of CPO Germany to come up with a suitable operational plan, Sean McCready, Managing Director in Belfast, said: “Through the quick and effective response given by Larne Harbour, the owners were able to complete all their operational requirements in a timely and cost effective manner and were very happy with all aspects of the operations completed. Thanks go to Anthony and all the team for their efforts.” Larne Port has over 40 acres of storage area in and around the port and easy access to the rest of Northern Ireland and beyond thanks to the A8 dual carriageway we make a great choice for project cargoes, bulk cargoes and passenger traffic.
After a year of preparation, Stena Line’s first volunteer is onboard Mercy Ships’ hospital ship Africa Mercy. In addition to fundraising and raising awareness for the humanitarian NGO, Stena Line aims to contribute to the organisation with its maritime knowledge and the unique technical and naval competence held by its employees.
During the year, a minimum of two Stena Line employees will work for Mercy Ships. The first volunteer was Third Engineer Johnny Joensuu. “It’s always exciting to be the first one out and you’ll get a chance like this once in your life. I really enjoy life onboard, the atmosphere is great and everyone has been very helpful. Also, we just passed the equator which is something I’ve always wanted to do.” The volunteer program is part of Stena Line’s sustainability work which bridges over all three dimensions of sustainability namely economic, ecologic and social. “For us, social responsibility is about being a sustainable employer and to contribute to a more sustainable world by helping others. Thanks to our partnership with Mercy Ships we are able to share the knowledge and experience we have after 50 years in this business, and more importantly the unique technical and naval competence held by its employees.” commented Niclas Mårtensson, CEO at Stena Line. Stena Line’s volunteer program was launched in 2017 and employees from all of the shipping company’s eight regions are encouraged to apply. In line with Mercy Ships’ values, all volunteers work for free, however Stena Line guarantees leave of absence and provides for the journey and all required vaccinations.
