Stena’s fifth E-Flexer delivered in China ahead of schedule

Côte d’Opale, the fifth E-Flexer RoPax vessel in a series of nine vessels ordered by Stena RoRo, has been delivered by Chinese shipyard, CMI Jinling (Weihai). The delivery took place six weeks ahead of schedule. The vessel is now en route for Europe where it has been chartered long-term to Denmark’s DFDS which will deploy the ship on the English Channel. The RoPax, with a length of 214m and freight capacity of 3,100 lane metres, will be the longest ferry operating on the English Channel when it enters service between Dover and Calais.

The ship’s bow and stern have been designed specifically to fit quayside facilities at the two ports. Instead of cabins, the ferry has large spaces devoted to passenger activities and comfort. A third bow thruster will assist manoeuvring in port.

Stena RoRo CEO, Per Westling, explained: “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 additional to far-reaching demands regarding the environmental aspects and technology, flexibility is one of the main characteristics of the E-Flexer class.”

Torben Carlsen, CEO of the DFDS Group, said: “With a capacity of 160 cars and space for 1,000 passengers, the Côte d’Opale is a fine example of how we combine cargo and passenger traffic. 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.”

The Chinese shipyard has four more firm E-Flexer orders as well as option contracts. The next RoPax, powered by LNG, is due to deliver later this year and will be chartered to Brittany Ferries. Two more ships will join the Stena RoRo fleet next year, and the tenth vessel in the series, also chartered to Brittany Ferries, is due for delivery in 2023.