Stena Line's newest hybrid Ro-Ro floated out

China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Weihai has launched a new freight-only Ro-Ro vessel ordered by Swedish transport company Stena Line for operation between the UK cities of Belfast and Heysham via the Irish Sea.

Stena Futura is the first in a new series of two Ro-Ro vessels to be fitted with hybrid propulsion systems that will include multi-fuel engines that can operate on methanol and biofuel. The ships will also feature shore power charging connections.

The vessels will each have capacity for up to 2,800 lane metres of freight. An optimised hull form will meanwhile enable each ship to transport more freight per voyage compared to vessels of similar size.

The keel of Stena Futura's sister ship Stena Connecta was also laid recently in China. Stena Line expects the two new vessels to be operational on the Irish Sea by 2025.

The acquisition of the new hybrid Ro-Ros is in line with the company's aim of shifting to renewable fuels for its ships and reducing its CO2 emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.