It is with great satisfaction and pride that we’ve now taken delivery of the eleventh E-Flexer vessel in the series. Within the framework of the E-Flexer concept, there has been continuous technical development, and we can offer our customers very flexible and future-proof propulsion systems that by a margin meet both present and future environmental requirements. The large battery hybrid system we installed on the Saint-Malo means that the ship can operate optimally, in steps with regulatory developments, or in accordance with the operator's own policies.
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.
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.
We are very excited to welcome the Ala’suinu to our service. With a focus on reducing our environmental impact, the latest accessibility features, state-of-the-art technologies, and enhanced customer amenities, I am confident our customers will be impressed with the newest addition to our fleet. I would like to thank the Government of Canada for their investment making it possible to add the Ala'suinu to our fleet.”
I would like to thank our partner, Stena RoRo, for their dedication and commitment to ensuring the delivery of the Ala'suinu,” says Murray Hupman, President and CEO, Marine Atlantic. “Our charter period has now begun, and we will have the option to purchase the vessel after the period. We are excited for the enhancements this vessel will offer our customers and I look forward to its arrival in April.
These vessels are a further development of our previous RoPax concepts, where the focus on sustainability and future-proofing has been a top priority, In this vessel, another dimension of sustainability has been added as the vessel has been designed to make a minimum of noise in the surrounding sea for the benefit of the sensitive underwater fauna of Canada's coasts. Multi-fuel engines and battery hybrid technology further contribute to minimizing Marine Atlantic's environmental impact.”
The arrival of this new LNG vessel in the fleet is a strong signal that is in line with the ambitious course set for Corsica Linea the coming years: to become the most modern shipping company in the Mediterranean by 2030. This new and highly efficient ship will be an important factor in our green transition and a part of our objective to reduce our CO2 emissions with 40 % by 2030.
This ship is a further development of our previous RoPax concepts, where the focus on sustainability and future-proofing has been a top priority. Through the further development and optimization of the hull shape in combination with multi-fuel engines and battery hybrid technology, ordering new vessels will be the most important and powerful measure to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping in the future.
These vessels are a further development of our previous cargo ship concepts where focus on sustainability and future-proofing with multi-fuel combustion engines are prioritized.
For us, this marks the end of our extensive involvement in a major, multi-year project. For Mercy Ships, the inauguration marks the beginning of something new. With the Global Mercy in full operation, the organization's ability to help the less fortunate in need of care more than doubles. They are doing a fantastic job and we are very proud and happy to have been a part of it.
We removed car decks and built operating theatres and hospital wards instead, The ship has space for 200 hospital patients. In port, 950 people can be accommodated and the ship is equipped with everything needed for both in-patients and those working on board, including schools and kindergartens for the volunteers’ children.
The Stena Estelle is the largest E-Flexer vessel to date that we have designed and built in the 12-ship series and, with its large capacity, it reduces total CO2 emissions per unit transported,
We are delighted to be assisting MARAD in strengthening the RRF fleet, and looking forward to participating in more vessel purchases within the framework of this collaborative arrangement.
When we were commissioned to build the Global Mercy, we began with an existing concept for passenger ships and freight for long-distance international RoPax service. We designed her as a pure passenger ship with hospital services instead. The car deck has been replaced by operating rooms and hospital wards.
It was the first time the shipyard had built this type of ship and we wanted to carefully monitor the process. We are very pleased with the collaboration we’ve enjoyed as well as the standard of the completed vessel.
The Salamanca is special because she is the first in the E-Flexer series to be delivered with LNG propulsion. The design has been adapted to Brittany Ferries' special requirements and the yard has yet again been able to deliver according to schedule despite the ongoing pandemic.
Fleet renewal is key to our business strategy, It is one of the pillars that will drive our recovery from the Covid crisis and deliver another successful 50 years for Brittany Ferries. So it is with gratitude that we thank our partners at Stena RoRo and everyone involved in her construction. From customers and suppliers, to the French crew that will sail with her, we all look forward to welcoming Salamanca to the Brittany Ferries family ahead of her sister ship Santoña a year later.
We believe that methanol is a clear frontrunner in shipping’s search for fuels beyond the fossil default and we are proud to be playing our part to help build the market for alternative fuels within shipping. We converted Stena Germanica to methanol power already in 2015 with another current partner, and that gives us valuable experience both from a conversion and operational perspective.
Carl-Johan Hagman, CEO Stena Rederi: “This announcement builds on the exciting and fruitful partnership that Stena Bulk has already forged with Proman and gives Stena another avenue to explore the use of methanol on more ship types.
Methanol is the only available alternative marine fuel that offers immediate emissions reductions, dramatically improving air quality and delivering a clear shipping decarbonisation pathway for 2050 and beyond. Unlike other alternative marine fuels, methanol utilises existing technology and is safe and widely available. Proman’s partnership with Stena has grown from strength to strength. Our combined vision is to dramatically accelerate the energy transition in shipping and not only talk about changing our environment but to actually make it happen. We will leverage both companies’ ambition and expertise to make methanol more widely available to vessel owners around the world and help them to join us on the transition to a cleaner shipping industry.
We look forward to work with Crowley & MARAD and to provide our market knowledge, including our extensive worldwide network in the RoRo segment. In addition, our operational experience and engineering capabilities, will enhance cooperation with the stakeholders involved in the project and add further value.
The VAM project represent another milestone in the long-standing cooperation between Crowley and Stena RoRo, dating back to the early 80s.
In Stena RoRo we have a partner with commercial, operational as well as technical excellence within the relevant commercial markets worldwide, complementing Crowley’s deep knowledge of the US MARAD requirements.
The advanced and future-proof propulsion system developed for these vessels means that they can be operated with several different types of fuel. This makes them well prepared for the new fuels not yet commercially available, but that will need to be developed and used in the future.
We are pleased to confirm our two new orders for E-Flexer vessels, which have each proven to be adaptable not only to our specific customer- and market-related needs, but also enable us to take a significant step forward in terms of our strong commitment to sustainability.
Marine Atlantic is a former customer of ours, We delivered one ferry in 2000 and two more in 2010 to Marine Atlantic, all of which are still in service. We were successful in executing this new charter contract after a very competitive and extensive procurement process. We are extremely pleased to be able to continue to deliver high quality ships to this important customer. Our focus is on adapting ship design to our customers' specific wishes and in this case, our E-Flexer platform is very well suited, as it meets the customer's requirements for an optimal hull form combined with efficient dual-fuel engines and a battery-hybrid solution to minimize emissions.
Marine Atlantic is an essential service that is vital to the national supply chain. The new vessel to be delivered to Marine Atlantic will play an important role in helping us to continue to meet the needs of our customers. The design of the vessel combines key priorities such as maneuverability, safety, accessibility, while minimizing environmental impacts, to provide our customers with a modern, efficient and reliable service.
We are excited to begin the countdown towards accepting the delivery of a new charter vessel for our service. We look forward to working with our partner in this project, Stena RoRo AB. Stena RoRo is a leading innovator in the roll on/roll off cargo and passenger ferry market globally.
We are very proud to take delivery of this special ship, The activities to be carried out on board have placed certain special and stringent demands on shipbuilding. For the shipyard, it was the first time they had built a vessel of this type – a challenge they have managed extremely well. For Mercy Ships, the delivery means that their capacity to provide care has more than doubled, and at Stena RoRo we are happy to be a part of their fantastic work through the construction of the Global Mercy.
Extending a vessel is a cost-effective way of increasing cargo capacity, while gaining room for more passengers, The new interior design and application of modern technology entail an upgraded passenger concept, with more efficient operation and reduced emissions per cargo unit.
Taking delivery of the large, modern and efficient vessel Stena Scandica is a major milestone for Stena Line and enables us to continue to grow together with our customers in the Baltic Sea. During the year we will increase capacity with 30 % on the Nynäshamn-Ventspils route, and 40 % on the Liepaja-Travemünde route.
Our focus is to adapt the design to our customers' specific wishes, and in this case, DFDS has been very involved in the ship's unique design. In addition to far-reaching demands regarding the environmental aspects and technology, flexibility is one of the main characteristics of the E-Flexer class.
We offer efficient transport solutions for both cargo and passengers. With a capacity of 160 cars and space for 1000 passengers, the Côte d'Opale is a fine example of how we combine cargo and passenger traffic without compromising the onboard experience. We really appreciate Stena's E-Flexer design, which has made it possible to adapt the ferry, in collaboration with Stena, to the wishes associated with the short crossings across the channel. With this ferry, we will be able to offer our passengers a comfortable journey.
The purpose of a sea trial is to ensure that the ship's systems are working properly during operation and that the requirements of the specifications and applicable standards are met. The hospital services to be provided on the Global Mercy entail increased requirements for good ventilation and minimization of vibrations, for example. This was also checked and she was approved on all counts.
For a few years now, our team has consisted of up to 16 members, stationed at the Tianjin Xingang shipyard. The team has mixed nationalities and part of the job has been to reconcile the different cultures. An important task has been to ensure that the ship is built according to the specifications. For this shipyard, this is the first time this kind of ship, which can be compared to a cruise ship, has been built. We have worked hard to meet the required standard and everything has gone very well. We are very pleased with the collaboration with the shipyard.
The Global Mercy is a special project that we are proud to be a part of. Mercy Ships is doing a fantastic job and with the new ship, their capacity to provide free medical care to many extremely vulnerable people will be more than twice as large.
Extending vessels is a good and cost-effective way of quickly increasing capacity. The ships will be both larger and significantly upgraded through this pioneering project. We are pleased to contribute to creating good value for the customer, as well as providing positive experiences for passengers and reduced environmental impact.
Together with Stena RoRo we continue to build on our successful RoPax concept with a mix of freight and passengers. By modernising and standardising our vessel fleet, we can grow with our customers and provide even better support through reliable operations
The project is both complicated and of considerable interest. For the yard, this is a challenge in terms of time, complexity and scope, but they are ambitious and certainly up to the task, and we are satisfied with the collaboration.
We have applied one of our concepts on a ship from the RoPax-class, which are passenger and freighter vessels for international voyages, and modified her into a pure passenger ship with hospital capabilities. Instead of a car deck, we’ve built operating rooms and hospital wards. The ship will have space for about 950 persons with everything needed for both patients and those who work on board, including grade schools and nursery schools for the children of staff.
It feels very satisfying to be able to contribute with our expertise in this project, which will make such a big and important difference to so many people in the poorest parts of the world. Mercy Ships is doing a fantastic job
“The Galicia is special because she is the first in the E-Flexer series to be delivered to an external customer. The design has been adapted to Brittany Ferries' special requirements and the yard has been able to deliver according to schedule despite the ongoing pandemic, which we are very happy about.”
"This is a significant milestone in our fleet renewal planning and we are delighted that we will shortly be welcoming Galicia to the Brittany Ferries family. The E-flexer class of ships are well suited to our long-haul routes. I am convinced that passengers will be as thrilled to travel on them as we are to take delivery of Galicia today.”
The conversion has gone extremely fast and we're very happy with the results. The Mediterranean is a familiar market for us, but in this case we have a new customer, which makes it especially nice. This type of assignment – taking a customer’s wishes and realizing them with rapid execution – is what we’re best at.”
“The process has moved extremely fast and collaboration with affected suppliers has gone smoothly. Despite major difficulties related to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, with shipyard workers and subcontractors, among others, forced to quarantine, we have managed to keep the timetable.”
This is a known and appreciated concept in the Mediterranean and not least in Pireaus, which entails extensive freedom in planning and execution,
The Côte d'Opale is a good example of these vessels' high degree of flexibility. We focus on adapting the design to our customers' specific wishes. In addition to far-reaching regrding the environmental aspects and technology, flexibility is one of the departure points for the E-Flexer RoPax class
At a shipyard in China, we're currently building the world's largest civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy, on behalf of the international charity Mercy Ships. Our project manager for the Global Mercy is back in Sweden and will lead any possible conversion of the Stena Saga.
To meet the requirements for medical care, we need, among other things, to rebuild the ventilation system, install alarms and communications systems, and also change the interior furnishings. In addition, patients and crew must be able to be kept apart. We can do what needs to be done in two to three weeks.
The idea is to provide care for corona patients who need hospital care but not intensive care. There may also be a need for beds for patients who have left intensive care but still require medical care awhile longer. Probably it's mainly a matter of being able to relieve the load on conventional hospitals.