Stena Line charter two new ferries

Stena Line to charter two new ferries Stena Line charters two new Ropax ferries for the Hook of Holland - Harwich route. The ships are valued at around GBP 100 million in total, and they will complement the high-speed vessel Stena Discovery. "This is a major initiative for Stena Line ahead of the new millennium. It increases both our freight and passenger capacity on this strategically important route. The ferries are state of the art, environmentally sound and well-suited to our plans for a stronger European route network," comments Stena Line's CEO Bo Severed. Combined freight- and passenger ferry with increased capacity The new Stena Seapacer ferry has been specially designed to meet the demands made by various types of freight transport, especially lorries and trailers. The freight capacity is approximately 160 units. An efficient drive-through concept ensures quicker loading, unloading and turnaround times. The ship can carry up to 450 passengers and provides facilities for good passenger comfort including approximately 200 cabins. Four main engines with catalytic converters provide a cruising speed of 22 knots, reducing the crossing time on the route from eight to six hours compared to the present freight vessels. "Traffic on the North Sea is showing strong growth and the Hook of Holland - Harwich route needs the right tonnage to meet this demand. The fast speed of the Ropax ships will enable us to adjust our schedules to better suit the freight market and, combined with the HSS-ferry Stena Discovery, introduced on this route in 1997, will ensure Stena Line offers unrivalled quality, frequency and reliability on the route," says Route Director Pim de Lange. The ships are being built in Spain for Stena AB, and will replace three older freight vessels on the route during the second half of 2000. Gothenburg 10 June, 1999 Stena Line AB Åsa Lindell Byström Director of Communications For more information please contact: Åsa Lindell Byström, tel: +46 (0)31 85 81 80, +46 (0)704 85 81 80; Sue Kirk, Stena Line UK Communications, tel: +44 1233 622 558; Martine Kok, Stena Line Hook of Holland, tel: +31 174 389 302, or visit www.stenaline.com. Photos are available at Kamerareportage, tel: +46 31 15 33 24. Facts of the Vessels M/V Seapacer class Ship typeRoPax (freight and passengers) Regulation SOLAS 90 (latest safety standard) Tonnage DWT 7 000 - GT 30,500 Loa 188.3 m Beam 28.7 m Draught 6.2 m max 6.0 m/design Engines 4 x Sulzer type 8ZAL40S each 5,760 kW Bow thrusters 2 Propellers KaMeWa 1,500 Kw each Stabilizers Brown Brothers Facilities Restaurant, shop, lounges, gaming areas, relaxation area Cabins 192 cabins with 452 berths Speed 22 knots Freight cap. 2,500 lane metres Lane width 3.1 m Free height on cargodeck 5 m Environment LowNox engines with catalytic gas cleaning Other Drive through concept on all cargo deck The Hook of Holland-Harwich route The Hook of Holland-Harwich route offers the fastest, direct route for freight and passengers travelling by car, train or coach between Holland/Northern Europe and the densely populated Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The route has been operated by Stena Line since 1989 and during this decade the company has increased the freight capacity resulting in a substantial growth in freight units carried from 60,000 to 130,000. The abolition of tax and duty free and the need to be able to compete against the Channel Tunnel and Short Sea ferry operators led to a new, strategic focus on fast ferry transport in June 1997 with the introduction on the route of the world's largest fast ferry HSS Stena Discovery. Since the launch of the HSS craft - offering the fastest direct connection between Holland and the UK - car traffic has increased by 20%. The introduction of the new RoPax ships in 2000 means that the strategic position of the route will be strengthened even further and will ensure unrivalled quality, frequency and reliability of service. In 1999 we anticipate the following carryings on the Hook of Holland-Harwich route: 1.1 million passengers, 210,000 cars and 130,000 freight units. Stena Line Freight In April 1998 Stena Lines freight operations were reorganised. Previously having been four different companies it now became one company responsible for sales and marketing of freight in all Europe. Stena Line operates a total of 15 routes in Europe of which two are operated in cooperation with P&O Stena Line and one with Tor Line. For the freight customers the merger to one company means far greater simplicity. One telephone call is enough to book all destinations. More than 40 per cent of the freight customers travel on more than one of Stena Line's routes. The computerised booking system, Freight Link, means one contract, one invoice and one follow-up, no matter which route you travel on. Regular freight customers have for some time been able to book on their own using the Freight-in-a-Box computer booking system or via Internet. During 1998 786,500 freight units, i e lorries, trailers, containers and railway carriages, were transported on Stena Line's ships. Stena Line Stena Line is an international transport and travel service company and one of the world's largest ferry companies. The Company's network includes 12 strategically situated ferry routes in Scandinavia and United Kingdom, including a lift-on, lift-off freight route. Through the P&O Stena Line partnership, there is an interest in a further number of routes. Stena Line has a modern fleet of 26 vessels, consisting of fast HSS ferries and catamarans with a cruising speed of 40 knots, traditional multi-purpose ferries, RoPax ferries for freight and passengers and RoRo ferries purely for freight. During 1998, 10.4 million passengers travelled and almost 1.9 million cars were transported on the Company's ferries. Stena Line´s revenue is SEK 7.8 billion and around 6,500 people are employed. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/06/10/19990609BIT00470/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/06/10/19990609BIT00470/bit0002.pdf