FERRIES FOR THE FUTURE
FOR THE
Part of the Stena Group, Stena RoRo has over 40 years’ experience as a leading innovator of roll on/roll off cargo and passenger ferries, offering RoRo and RoPax vessels plus associ ated services. Managing Director Per Westling outlined recent projects and new developments at Stena RoRo, in conversation with Phil Nicholls.
ATthe request of the charity organisation Mercy Ships, Stena RoRo built the Global Mercy, the world’s largest civilian hospital ship. Global Mercy allows Mercy Ships to double its healthcare capacity and deliver free surgical care to countries that need it most.
“We took delivery of the hospital vessel last summer,” Managing Director Per Westling explained. “After many years of project management and construction, Global Mercy is now delivered to Mercy Ships and fully operational in Africa.”
Stena RoRo is part of the Stena Group, which began in 1939. Stena was first involved with RoRo ferries with the
STENA RORO
delivery of 11 RoRo vessels from the Hyundai Shipyard in South Korea. Today, Stena RoRo is a leading innovator in the development of technologically advanced vessels and leases ships to first-class operators all over the world. Stena RoRo has 260 employees and a turnover of SEK 600 million (€56 million).
The company offers clients a range of services. Alongside supervising the con struction of ships like Global Mercy, Stena RoRo charters out its fleet of three RoRo and ten RoPax vessels . A RoRo ferry car ries a mixture of rolling cargo dominated by road trailers, creating sea bridges on short sea routes worldwide. In contrast, RoPax ferries combine the cargo capacity
of RoRo vessels with the passenger ameni ties of modern ferries.
Thanks to its broad knowledge in the field, Stena RoRo also provides reliable and effi cient turnkey solutions based on modern, proven RoRo technology. If a client seeks new or modernised vessels, Stena RoRo has the experience within both design and new builds to deliver the customer’s tech nical and management services throughout the process.
New builds
The Global Mercy project was an unusual one for Stena RoRo, according to Mr Westling: “When we learned what Mercy Ships have been doing for many, many years, it was
something that really caught us. Everyone at Stena saw that we could contribute to the fantastic work of Mercy Ships, with Global Mercy more than doubling the charity’s hospital capacity.”
Global Mercy is a tailored RoPax-class ferry, 174m and 37,000 tons. The ferry’s car deck was converted into hospital wards and six operating rooms. The hospital ship has capacity for 950 persons, plus every thing needed for both the patients and those who work on board including over 600 volunteers from around the globe. Global Mercy is also contributing to the construc tion of the local infrastructure for medical care in the ports she visits by training local health professionals.
More conventionally from Stena RoRo is the innovative construction programme building hybrid-powered E-Flexer vessels. Several E-Flexers are operated by the sister company Stena Line, while other ferries are in service with third parties, including Brittany Ferries and DFDS.
“The appeal of the E-Flexer is a combi nation of high cargo capacity and a relatively large passenger capacity,” explained Mr Westling. “The E-Flexer is like an extended balance between cargo space and passenger capacity which is key, combined with a very well-designed hull which gives very low fuel consumption.”
These ferries are designed for the European market, with flexible configura tions. Many of the later vessels in the range have hybrid engines, with LNG capacity or large battery capacity. The exact layout of an E-Flexer from Stena RoRo depends upon the needs of the customer.
Stenability
“We are highly skilled and experienced in designing and converting vessels,” Mr Westling said, “which we combine with a unique knowledge of our market, to create
STENA RORO I PROFILEtailor-made solutions for our demanding customers. We call this Stenability.”
These turnkey services are especially suited to new RoRo or RoPax ferries. However, Stena RoRo has also converted many existing ships for a range of benefits, including increased capacity in the cargo decks and accommodation, enhanced manoeuvrability or refined cargo access equipment.
One recent Stenability project was the conversion of Stena Saga, a night ferry built in 1981. This vessel was converted into floating accommodation for workers in the Philippines building the new interna tional airport outside of Manila. Another similar enterprise was the lengthening by 30 metres of two RoPax vessels in Turkey Both projects enabled Stena RoRo to extend the operational lifespan of ships which might otherwise have been scrapped.
In conjunction with the above schemes which effectively recycle older vessels, Stena RoRo is aware of the steps it needs to take for the sustainability of its own operation.
“Our main thing is to invest in new ton nage,” Mr Westling explained, “because we see the big improvements we enjoy with a new vessel.
“Environmental regulations will force us to phase out old ships, because investing huge amounts of money in existing tonnage is not going to work. The most important thing is to invest in new products. The other area we are working on, although have not executed yet, is to convert a couple of ships to methanol operation.”
Shaping the future
The extensive package of knowledge and services at Stena RoRo is a core part of its appeal to clients, as Mr Westling describes : “We have in our company both builders and designers. We produce a design in partner ship with the client, of course, then oversee the building of the ship. Stena RoRo is a onestop shop.”
A good working relationship with all of Stena RoRo’s suppliers and partners is another essential part of the company's operations. To maintain its broad portfolio of build options, Stena RoRo enjoys close partnerships with a wide range of suppliers.
In Mr Westling’s opinion, the greatest challenge facing Stena RoRo is maintaining compliance with the changing emissions regulations being applied to the shipping industry. There is a clear demand to keep cargo and passengers flowing between countries, so it falls to companies such as Stena RoRo to facilitate this traffic while
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meeting the various environmental require ments. However, identifying the ideal fuel solution for the industry is not easy.
“There is a trend towards methanol,” Mr Westling explained, “which is cur rently cheaper to adopt. LNG conversion is extremely expensive at €20-25 million for a ferry or a new build. Momentum for methanol is building due to the lower costs and being a very straightforward fuel to handle. Other fuels like ammonia and hydrogen are even further away from reality.”
No matter which fuels the industry embraces, Stena RoRo is ready to support clients and partners in building the ship ping network for tomorrow.
“In Stena, we are all shaping our future and creating our success,” con cluded Mr Westling, “with support from the owners and the financiers. We are building our own future by being creative and knowledgeable.” n
