Sweden's Stena RoRo is a very experienced owner and operator of Ro-Pax ferries and its latest Chinese-built ship, which serves the English Channel trade, shows all the benefits of that experience. Long at 216 metres and relatively lean, it avoids the boxy look of so many of its competitors on the same routes.
It is an efficient and economical ship that requires minimal crew and emits similarly minimal pollutants, particularly CO2. It is a highly refined, safe, and comfortable ferry that has been designed for day voyages.
"Cote D'Opale is a tailor-made E-Flexer ferry for English Channel operations," Stena RoRo told Baird Maritime. "The ship is among the biggest short-sea ferries on the channel, and the cooperation between Stena RoRo, the shipyard, naval architects Deltamarin, and our customers DFDS made this project a success."
The company added that the ferry industry will be driven partly by upcoming environmental regulations such as EEXI, CII, and the emission trading system (ETS) in the case of European operators. With these standards becoming increasingly important, the challenge then lies in finding means of compliance within the international shipping environment.
"We believe the most important goal for ferry operators in the coming years would be to make sure their respective fleets are prepared for the growing number of regulations and for any measures intended to make ships future-proof."
