Stena Line and Frederikshavn head for fossil fuel-free traffic
The Stena Elektra vessels are due to operate on the Gothenburg-Frederikshavn route by 2030 (Source: Stena Line/Peter Mild)
Swedish ferry operator Stena Line, Danish local government authority Frederikshavn Municipality and the Danish port of Frederikshavn have signed an agreement to introduce electrically powered ferries into sailings between Denmark and Sweden.
The ferries will be among the world's first fossil fuel-free RoPax vessels their size, measuring approximately 200m long with a capacity of 3,000 lane meters for vehicles and 1,000 to 1,500 passengers. The three parties in the agreement commit to take their share of the responsibility for making Gothenburg-Frederikshavn the world's first fossil fuel-free ferry line of its kind. The agreement involves two new battery-powered type Stena Elektra vessels to be launched by 2030.
Stena Line has earlier launched the Tranzero Initiative together with the Volvo Group, Scania and the port of Gothenburg. The aim is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions linked to Sweden’s port of Gothenburg by 70% by 2030.
"Our ambition is to lead the development towards fossil fuel-free shipping and sustainable transport at sea,” said Stena Line's chief executive officer Mr Niclas Martensson. “That is why we are investing in new technologies and various alternative fuels. We are already ten years ahead of the international shipping industry's target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but with Stena Elektra we are taking another big step on Stena Line's sustainable journey, on the road to a completely fossil fuel-free operation."
