LLOYD'S LIST, 06-28.2006 |
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Stena lengthens North Sea Ferries as demand rises |
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Stena Line, in a bold €100m ($125m) move to meet growing North Sea demand, has booked German yard Lloyd Werft to lengthen two superferries into the world’s largest ro-pax vessels. The leading north European ferry operator last week signed the deal with the Bremerhaven shipbuilder to lengthen the two modern ro-pax by 240 m each. Work cutting in two and extending the 42,400 gt Stena Britannica and the 33,769 gt Stena Hollandica is scheduled to start at the beginning of the high season in May. (…) Growing volumes on the link has prompted the Gothenburg ferry operator to look at acquiring more vessels or lengthening its existing tonnage. “Our North Sea operations are of huge strategic importance to us and we believe that this investment is vital to our ability to meet customer demand on this route,”said Stena Line chief executive officer Gunnar Blomdahl. “This investment will enable Stena Line to cater for the right capacity of both passenger and freight traffic.” The British-flagged Stena Britannica was delivered from Hyundai Heavy in 2002, and presently has a passenger capacity of 900 with 3,400 lane metres, while the Dutch-registered Stena Hollandia built at Spain’s Astilleros Espanoles in 2001 can take 440 passengers and has 2,500 lane metres. (…) |
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