The 10th vessel in the Stena RoRos E-Flexer series has been delivered from the CMI Jinling, Weihai Shipyard.
The vessel, named Ala’suinu, will be on a long charter agreement with the Canadian state-owned Marine Atlantic and operate a ferry line in eastern Canada between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Ala’suinu has a length of 203m, a draught of 6.5m and a beam measuring 27.8m, and a top speed of 23kts. The ship can accommodate 1,000 passengers and 2,500 cargo meters of freight, and features 186 passenger cabins.
Stena RoRo currently has 13 confirmed orders for E-Flexer vessels, as well as two so-called “New Max” ro-ro vessels, at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard. Five vessels are currently under construction at the shipyard.
The vessels’ engines are multi-fuel and can run on LNG, conventional marine fuel (MGO) or biodiesel. The vessels have been designed in line with future environmental requirements and, through their technical design, can meet both existing and future international requirements by a wide margin. The vessels will be designed with the classification society notation “battery power” which means that in the future the vessels will also be able to use batteries as a means of propulsion.
“We are very excited to welcome the Ala’suinu to our service,” said Gary O’Brien, chair of the board of directors at Marine Atlantic. “With a focus on reducing our environmental impact, the latest accessibility features, state-of-the-art technologies and enhanced customer amenities, I am confident our customers will be impressed with the newest addition to our fleet. I would like to thank the Government of Canada for their investment in making it possible to add the Ala’suinu to our fleet.”
“I would like to thank our partner, Stena RoRo, for their dedication and commitment to ensuring the delivery of the Ala’suinu,” added Murray Hupman, president and CEO of Marine Atlantic. “Our charter period has now begun, and we will have the option to purchase the vessel after the period. We are excited for the enhancements this vessel will offer our customers and I look forward to its arrival in April.”
“These vessels are a further development of our previous ro-pax concepts, where the focus on sustainability and futureproofing has been a top priority,” said Per Westling, managing director of Stena RoRo. “In this vessel, another dimension of sustainability has been added as the vessel has been designed to make a minimum of noise in the surrounding sea for the benefit of the sensitive underwater fauna of Canada’s coasts. Multi-fuel engines and battery hybrid technology further contribute to minimizing Marine Atlantic’s environmental impact.”
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