Stena Line expands its local fleet

Stena Line, leading ferry company, has announced details of a new addition to its Northern Corridor fleet. From early November the company will introduce a third ship, the Stena Navigator, on its Stranraer-Belfast route. The vessel will cater for both passenger and freight traffic with a capacity of up to 1,500 passengers and up to 280 cars or 50 lorries. The addition of the vessel and an onboard upgrade programme that's currently under way in Belfast Port represents a total investment in the route of over £6m.

Stena Navigator will be substantially upgraded and creates an opportunity to introduce a new cruiseferry concept. With substantial passenger areas and expanded free wifi and free movies, the ship will offer a new travelling experience.

The introduction of the Stena Navigator will expand Stena Line's current fleet of the HSS Stena Voyager and Stena Caledonia and provides the company with an opportunity to make a number of changes to its existing timetable which better reflect the needs of its customer base. It means Stena Line can now offer up to 14 crossings on the route each day.

Paul Grant, Stena Line's Stranraer-Belfast Route Manager, said: "The introduction of the Stena Navigator will give us the opportunity to provide our customers with an increased number of travel and timetable options. The additional capacity on the route will also enable us to expand in time for what we hope will be a more buoyant 2010.

"While trading conditions remain challenging, Stena Line is confident about the future and is putting the necessary investment in place to ensure that it can leverage a competitive advantage when the economic upturn arrives. We will announce details of our revised timetable over the next few weeks."

Over the last 10 years Stena Line has invested over £100m in its Northern Corridor route including the opening of a new £37m terminal at Belfast Port last June. At present a planning application to the Scottish Government to establish a similar facility to the north of Cairnryan is under consideration.

About Stena Line:
Stena Line is the Irish Sea ferries market leader, offering the biggest ferry fleet and the widest choice of routes between Britain and Ireland including Stranraer to Belfast, Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Port, Fishguard to Rosslare and Fleetwood to Larne. The company carries over three million passengers on its Irish Sea routes each year, more than its rival operators combined.

Stena Line PR Contact:
Nigel Tilson
UK Communications Manager
Victoria Terminal 4
West Bank Road
Belfast
BT3 9JL
028 9088 4036
www.stenaline.co.uk