Construction has begun on Stena Line's first 'NewMax' hybrid ferry in Weihai, China.

Playing a key role in Stena Line's journey to sustainable fuel, the new hybrid ships will be able to operate on methanol fuel. Stena Line is currently working closely with the supply chain of methanol on securing future volumes of e-methanol to fulfil its strategic ambition of shifting to renewable fuels.

In 2023, Stena Line announced that two new hybrid freight ferries have been ordered from Stena RoRo destined for the Belfast – Heysham route, with the first due to enter service in autumn 2025.

The 'NewMax' vessels have a unique design and an efficient hull to form to maximise freight volumes and their addition to the route will boost freight capacity by 80 per cent compared to current ship capacity.

Stena Line has signed an agreement with Peel Ports to operate in Heysham Port until the end of the century, reaffirming its confidence in the continued success of the route. As part of the new agreement, Stena Line and Peel Ports will aim to secure the shore infrastructure to provide additional electrical capacity to facilitate the future goal of powering the new ships by shore power. The new vessels will have built-in technologies that can take advantage of both battery propulsion and shore power. The ships will be futureproofed with a progressive propulsion configuration that ultimately will allow the vessels to be decarbonised.

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Paul Grant, Trade Director Irish Sea, Stena Line said: "We're excited to announce that the steel cutting has taken place for our state-of-the-art 'NewMax' ships for our Belfast to Heysham route – a landmark moment for the service. An important trading corridor across the Irish Seam we have seen significant growth in the service in recent years and the extra boost in capacity that the ships will provide will help us to meet customer demand. The capabilities of these new hybrid ships to operate an alternative fuel will also be instrumental in reaching Stena Line's ambitious sustainability targets and achieving our goal of establishing futureproofed fossil free shipping corridors."

Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour stated: "Enhancing capacity on the Belfast – Heysham route whilst at the same time reducing its emissions will make these new ships a welcome addition to Belfast’s shipping connections with Great Britain. We are committed to continuing our work with Stena Line to enhance facilities and invest in infrastructure to help deliver more sustainable shipping services for the local economy. The arrival of these new ships will stimulate for the methanol supply chain by providing a long-term demand for this alternative fuel in the Irish Sea and in doing so, will provide opportunities for other vessels to transition to this more sustainable fuel in the future."