The E-Flexer is a class of Chinese-built Ro-Pax ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for European line service. Fifteen vessels of the class are on order, and upon delivery will be operated by Stena Line, Brittany Ferries, DFDS Seaways, Marine Atlantic, Corsica Linea and Attica Group.[1] Stena Line are to take five vessels of the class, Brittany Ferries five (four powered by LNG, two of which will also be hybrid electric), and a single vessel each to DFDS and Marine Atlantic, of which the latter's vessel will also be hybrid electric. All of the vessels will be delivered to Stena RoRo with the Stena Line vessels transferred to that company and the Brittany Ferries, DFDS and Marine Atlantic examples long-term chartered to those operators, with an option to purchase at the end of the charter.
Following about two years of design work, Stena ordered the first four vessels of the class from Chinese shipbuilder AVIC Weihai (now China Merchants Jinling Shipyard)[2] in April 2016, with options for four more ships.[3] Stena originally planned to utilize the four ferries on Irish Sea services out of Belfast, but later agreed to charter the third ship in the series to Brittany Ferries.[4] In February 2018, the keel was laid for the first ship, with her delivery scheduled for early 2020.[5] [4] Stena RoRo ordered a fifth ship in April 2018, which will enter service with DFDS Seaways on a ten-year charter upon delivery.[6] The following month, Stena RoRo ordered a sixth ship, to be placed with Brittany Ferries on a ten-year charter beginning in late 2021.[7] Construction on the second ship in the class began in June 2018.[8] In July, Stena Line ordered two more ships, accounting for all the options in the original 2016 order, while Stena RoRo announced that it had agreed to take new options for four more vessels.[9]
The first ship in the class, named Stena Estrid, was launched in January 2019[10] and was delivered in China on 15 November.[11] On arrival in Holyhead, faulty seals on over 20 windows were discovered. Repairs were carried out prior to her maiden voyage, which took place on 13 January 2020.[12] [13] She is regularly operated on Stena's route between Holyhead and Dublin.
Stena Edda, the second E-flexer earmarked for Stena Line's fleet, was delivered to Stena RoRo on 15 January 2020.[14] [15] Following bunkering in Singapore and Gibraltar, and an outside port limits call at Galle, the crew travelling from Weihai were also checked by local authorities for coronavirus infection, with no evidence of the disease being present.[16] She entered service on Stena's route between Belfast and Birkenhead, where Stena Embla, the third ship of the series, is planned to operate upon her delivery in early 2021.
Galicia was delivered on 3 September 2020, with her entry into service expected in 2021.[17] [18] [19] She will operate out of Portsmouth, England, to Santander, Spain and Cherbourg, France.[17] Brittany Ferries plans to take delivery of Salamanca in 2022, followed by Santoña in 2023.[17] On 20 July 2021, Brittany Ferries announced that 2 more E-Flexer ships are due to enter service between 2024 and 2025, replacing Bretagne and Normandie. These two vessels - which will be shortened to about 195metres in order to comply with St. Malo port restrictions, are due to operate between Portsmouth and St. Malo (codename Bretagne II) and Portsmouth and Caen/Ouistreham (codename Normandie II). These will be ships 11 and 12.
The fifth ship in the series, operated by DFDS, is called Côte d'Opale. She differs significantly from the other E-Flexer vessels as she has additional public spaces in areas where passenger cabins are located on the Stena Line and Brittany Ferries ships.[20] The drastic changes from the rest of the E-Flexer class come about from the fact that she is running on the Dover-Calais cross-channel service, which is a short crossing - only taking 90 minutes from Dover to Calais.[17] On 4 August 2021, the Côte d'Opale entered service, replacing DFDS's older 1991 Boelwerf-built Calais Seaways.
The day after Brittany Ferries ordered two additional E-Flexers, Marine Atlantic ordered an E-Flexer. This vessel will be slightly shorter than the standard E-Flexer at 202.9metres and will run on Marine Atlantic's two routes, connecting the North Sydney-Port aux Basques-Argentia triangle.[21] [22]
In mid-2024 two other ferries, intended for Attica Group, were ordered for delivery in 2027.[23] [24]
E-Flexer-class ships were designed by Stena and Deltamarin, and built in China by China Merchants Shipyards (formerly part of AVIC). The basic concept of the E-Flexer follows a standardised design using (by default configuration) one full passenger deck, two mixed use decks, and two full-length garages for road traffic, plus a smaller garage in the ship's lower hull. Ships of the class are powered by two engines instead of four, which is said to reduce fuel consumption alongside a specialised hull design. The standard design is 214.5metres long by 27.8metres wide, however the design can be lengthened and shortened, and the interior can be tailored according to the operator's needs.
The first five ships to be built are each powered by two MaK M43C diesel engines, with a total power output of 25200kW, driving two propellers that give the ships a service speed of 22kn.[4] Those engines are designed to be compatible with liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel after modifications.[4] Brittany Ferries' second and third (Salamanca and Santoña) ships will be modified to be capable of running on LNG from delivery,[25] though both will have reduced freight capacity as a result of the space occupied by their LNG tanks. All of the E-Flexer ships ordered to date will be ice-classed, either to 1A or 1C requirements.
The standard Stenas, ships #1-#3 (Stena Estrid, Edda and Embla), are the first ships of E-Flexers delivered, with all being delivered between 2019 and 2020. They have a fully-passenger Deck 8 (upper deck) and partial -passenger Deck 7. Deck 7 houses a restaurant overlooking the bow of the ship, with a car garage to the stern. Deck 8 houses numerous amenities at the bow, with the stern section housing passenger cabins.
The extended Stenas are ships #7 and #8 (Stena Estelle, Stena Ebba) of the class. These ships follow much the same layout as the original standard-length Stena E-Flexers, however these are extended to 240metres long. With the extension in the ship's length, lane space is increased by 500 lane metres to 3600lm. Stena Ebba is not to be confused with Stena Edda which is smaller sister ship in the preceding standard E-Flexer class.
The standard Brittany Ferries (Galicia, Salamanca and Santoña) follow a very similar design to Stenas Estrid, Edda and Embla, with the chief differences being an extended superstructure and with the Deck 7 car deck being cut in favour of passenger cabins, turning Deck 7 into a full passenger deck. Salamanca and Santoña will be capable of running on liquefied natural gas from launch, while the Galicia will be able to convert at a later date. Due to LNG tanks taking up some lane metres on the latter two, lane metres on the combined two decks will be reduced from 3100lm to 2758lm.
Two E-Flexers (Saint-Malo and Guillaume de Normandie), will be built to the shortened specification. These are shortened to 194.7metres length in order to comply with St. Malo harbour restrictions. Saint-Malo is due to replace the 1989 Bretagne while the Guillaume de Normandie will replace the 1992 Normandie. Guillaume de Normandie will follow a similar layout to the standard Brittanies, while Saint-Malo will sacrifice additional lane metres for cabin space. Guillaume de Normandie will have some 2100lm of garage space, with the Saint-Malo instead using 1100lm. Uniquely, these two ships will be hybrid electric, with capability of sailing out of harbour on 11 MWh battery electric power.[26]
On June 28, 2024 it was announced that Stena RoRo had placed an order for two additional E-Flexers (ships #14 and #15) to be delivered to the Greek shipping company Attica Group (owner of the Superfast Ferries brand).[27] These two newbuildings, as yet unnamed, will be 240metres long and thus share the hull with ships #7 and #8 (Stena Estelle and Stena Ebba), despite having way less lane space (3320 lm to 3600 lm). Both ships will be methanol-ready and will feature an hybrid propulsion as-built.
The Côte D'Opale is one of three unique E-Flexer newbuilds. Her design sacrifices cabins completely on Deck 8 in favour of passenger amenities, alongside being outfitted with a so-called "cow catcher" on the bow and sliding doors at the rear. These changes were made in order for her to be suitable for service on the highly intensive Dover-Calais sailing, which only lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and utilises shore-to-ship ramps instead of the conventional ship-to-shore ramps used elsewhere.[28] [29]
The vessel for Marine Atlantic is the second unique E-Flexer. She, dubbed Ala'suinu (Mi'kmaq for Traveller), is a slightly shortened variant of the standard E-Flexer, though longer than the shortened Brittany ships on order, at 202.9metres long. She is expected to carry 1100 passengers and contain 2571 lane metres of vehicle space, and, like the St. Malo Brittany Ferries ships, will be capable of running on marine diesel or liquid natural gas, with hybrid electric propulsion. Like the Brittany ships, the car deck on Deck 7 will be sacrificed for additional cabin space.[30] [21] [31] The ship was delivered to Marine Atlantic on 7 February 2024.[32]
On January 8, 2024, it was announced that Stena RoRo had secured a contract with Corsica Linea to deliver an E-Flexer, marking the first time Stena RoRo secured a contract to deliver a ship to a Mediterranean operator. This ship will be based on the same hull form as Marine Atlantic's Ala'suinu, and by extension will measure the same at 202.9metres long. The new ship, as yet unnamed, will have 2,500 lane metres of rolling cargo space, 235 passenger cabins and capacity for 1,000 passengers, with LNG capability and hybrid propulsion as-built. [33] [34]
There was also a concept for a ship of this class for Interislander (Island E-Flexer), which was never realised.[35]
| Variant | Stena (standard) | Stena (lengthened) | Brittany (Galicia) | Brittany (shortened) | Brittany (LNG) | DFDS (Côte d'Opale) | Marine Atlantic | Corsica Linea | Superfast Ferries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length by Width | 214.5metres long 27.8metres wide | 240m (790feet) long 27.8metres wide | 214.5metres long 27.8metres wide | 194.7metres long 27.8metres wide | 214.5metres long 27.8metres wide | 214.5metres long 27.8metres wide | 202.9metres long 27.8metres wide | 202.9metres long 27.8metres wide | 239.7metres long 27.8metres wide |
| Tonnage | 42,400 GT | ~45,000 GT | 41,900 GT | ~38,000 GT | 42,000 GT | 40,331 GT | N/A (not announced) | N/A (not announced) | N/A (not announced) |
| Propulsion | 2× MaK M43C diesel engines, 12,600 kW each | 2× MaK M43C diesel engines, 12,600 kW each | 2× MaK M43C diesel engines, 12,600 kW each | 2× Wärtsilä 12V46DF dual-fuel engines, 13,740 kW each plus battery electric hybrid system | 2× Wärtsilä 12V46DF dual-fuel engines, 13,740 kW each | 2× MaK M43C diesel engines, 12,600 kW each | 2× Wärtsilä 12V46DF dual-fuel engines, 13,740 kW each plus battery electric hybrid system | 2× Wärtsilä 12V46DF dual-fuel engines, 13,740 kW each plus battery electric hybrid system | N/A (not announced) |
| Speed | 22knots | 22knots | 22knots | 23knots | 23knots | 22knots | 23knots | 23knots | 24knots |
| Passenger capacity | 1000 pax | 1200 pax | 1015 pax | ~1300 pax | 1015 pax | 1000 pax | 1100 pax | 1000 pax | 1500 pax |
| Lane metres | 3100 lm | 3600 lm | 3100 lm | 2100 lm | 2758 lm | 3100 lm | 2571 lm | 2500 lm | 3320 lm |