Stena RoRo has returned to China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Weihai (CMJI Weihai) for more E-Flexer ropax newbuildings.
The Swedish tonnage provider has ordered two firm vessels with an option for two additional ships.
Stena RoRo said the pair of firm newbuildings will be the company’s 14 and 15 vessels in the E-Flexer series.
CMJI Weihai is scheduled to deliver the duo in 2027.
The 240-metre ropax vessels will be operated by Greece’s Attica Group in the Adriatic Sea under their Superfast Ferries brand.
Stena RoRo said the Greek ferry company has long-term chartered the vessels. It did not disclose the rates or charter terms but said Attica holds an option to purchase them.
Greek ferry sources say the vessels are bareboat chartered for 10 years, with purchase options declarable after five.
Attica, which operates Superfast Ferries, Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways and ANEK Lines, also holds an option to charter two more newbuildings.
“The vessels have been jointly designed and ordered as the most bespoke E-Flexers so far,” said Per Westling, managing director of Stena RoRo.
“The design is extremely versatile, and the ships will — with their inherent flexibility of different fuels, battery hybrid operation and many other fuel-saving features — play an important role in the green transition of the Attica Superfast Adriatic RoPax service.”
Panos Dikaios, chief executive of Attica Group, said the charter of Stena RoRo’s “state-of-the-art vessels set new standards for the entire Greek ferry industry”.
“It drastically reduces our environmental footprint, redefines the travel experience and responds dynamically to the challenges of tomorrow,” said Dikaios.
Stena RoRo did not disclose the cost of the ropax newbuildings but said: “The series is based on a concept with larger vessels than today’s standard ropax ferries and is very flexible. Each ship is tailored to the customers’ needs, both commercially and technically.”
The vessels will have the capacity to accommodate 1,500 passengers and 3,320 cargo metres of freight.
Their engines will be of the multi-fuel type, capable of running on conventional marine fuel or biodiesel. The engines will also be methanol-ready.
“The E-Flexer concept has been designed in line with future environmental requirements and, through its technical design, can meet both existing and future international requirements by a wide margin,” said Stena RoRo.
“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 utilise batteries as a means of propulsion, partly or completely, depending on battery development.”
The ships will be the first ropax newbuildings to join the Attica fleet since it took delivery of the Daewoo-built, 18,500-gt Blue Star Patmos in 2012.
The company, Greece’s largest ferry operator, announced in December 2023 that it was planning to spend €1bn on fleet upgrades and vessel renewals.
