And it has been different in many ways. Some things have been different in a good way, but many things have been different in a bad way. Most of our businesses have been forced to cut costs, change and think differently. All of our marine business areas are struggling. But we have learnt a lot during the setbacks. We are doing things differently today. And outside shipping, all our business areas are doing better than ever. That is a big advantage of being a conglomerate.  

Difficult times require fast and difficult decisions. By being brave and taking action to do things differently, we are managing the increasing challenges.

We are innovative, we remain customer focused and we provide quality in every-thing we do. And despite our setbacks, we like being challenged. 

In Stena we are proud of our way to act by our delegated businessmanship principle. Everyone is an individual. Nobody is a number. This principle enables each one of us to take responsibility and act fast and remain customer focused. But in order to make good decisions in difficult times, we need to communicate and help each other. We need to use each other’s competences, ideas, perspectives and learnings. This is why our Sphere Forum is so important. It gives our management teams a platform to get to know each other and build the necessary trust enabling all of us to help each other.  

Nevertheless I think we have managed the pandemic in the best possible way. We acted early and with force, we didn’t think this was something that would just pass, but considered the consequences, took action to adapt to a new reality and secured everything we could. I am grateful for this and want to thank everyone for doing their best during this difficult time. 

MOVING ON WITH NEW ENERGY IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY

Our operations are run in a good way. But do the odd and new things happen? Or? Have we fallen into a rhythm where we only do what is required and maybe not more than so. We have managed to reduce our costs, which is great. But we need to stay hungry, young and improve things continuously. What new things have we accomplished to improve our relations with our customers? With the world changing faster than ever again, we need to be agile and we need to sweat to make sure we accomplish more. I want us all to feel a little bit like the new leaves and flowers during spring time. We just can’t wait, we are so eager. I want bud bursting! So I encourage you all to burst into action and raise the ambition for us to accomplish new things.  

It makes me think of sustainability. Sustainability is high on Stena’s agenda. Sustainability is nothing new to us. It has been a common thread throughout the business for many years. But we have not talked about it as sustainability. To me sustainability is about combining being useful with care. Being useful and care are values that we have lived by for decades.

By combining the two perspectives we contribute both to the success of our customers and to society at large. According to me the two perspectives do not contradict each other, they reinforce each other. Being a family owned company we have always had a long-term perspective on our business and our contribution to society at large. As a leader in Stena you and everybody else are responsible for finding solutions and opportunities combining being useful with care. That is our way of working sustainably.  

Sustainability creates both opportunities and challenges for us. For some business areas, e.g. Stena Bulk and Stena Drilling, the challenges are bigger and we need to pay attention to how we manage these businesses from a risk perspective, covering both reputational risks and brand, access to external financing and the risk of our assets quickly losing value.  

But there are also opportunities for us in the transition. By leveraging historic Stena strengths such as high quality, strong technical know-how and innovative capabilities our ambition is to use our strengths to take advantage of the opportunities that transition to new fuels, more efficient operations and development of new vessels create.  

The transition towards sustainable solutions will come at a substantial cost. However both Stena and the wider industry has historically proven to be quite resilient, when it comes to adapting to technological, regulatory and commercial shifts. In close collaboration with our most important partners I hope we can continue to deliver customer solutions to an industry and world in transition.

STRENGTHS TO BUILD ON

Two of Stena’s strengths are our customer focus and the delegated businessmanship. Our customers are the starting point for all business and by always focusing on what our customers need and by contributing to their success we make sure that we stay relevant. That will always be important. Our delegated businessmanship is a prerequisite for reaching a strong customer focus. The people closest to the customers should be able to make decisions and run the business.

Businessmanship and customer focus are related and reinforce each other.

The last 1,5 years has been very special. We have had to act differently and do different things than usual. We have become a lot better at using digital tools. Digital meetings in Teams have become daily routine and in a way the world has become smaller.

Digital forms of meetings also create many alternate opportunities. It is very democratic as everyone participates on equal terms.

However the physical meetings are very valuable in order to create energy and build trust. Going forward we must use the best of this and use the digital tools to connect the world, keep close contact and at the same time complete this with the important physical meetings that we humans need so much.

LEARNINGS FROM SPHERE FORUM

At the Sphere Forum this year I personally learnt more about the future of energy. Electricity is of course the new thing. The demand is more enormous than anyone can imagine. It will give us a lot of opportunities on land as well as on the sea. At the same time alternative fuels and fossil fuels will support our present infrastructures.

I also learnt a lot more about the power of Asia and especially the power of Asian youth. Young Asian people will migrate outside Asia and I hope many well-educated women and men among them will seek employment with us.          

There will be many new forms of how we are going to work. It will be demanding to find out and meet the new requirements.

But the biggest area to be concerned about is the future unknowns.                                                                                                                                   

The future unknowns are not only a threat. They will also give us a lot of opportunities and we must remember to stay focused on current and future customers.

I hope we all keep on learning something new or reflect on new thoughts.

Please remember that if you can think of and realize one good new idea every year you are doing very well. Somebody told me. Einstein had really only three good ideas in his lifetime. On the other hand they were really, really very good ideas.

In conclusion I once again would like to encourage you to use the collective knowledge, wisdom and experience within our Stena sphere. Nobody knows everything and everybody knows something. So learn from each other, take action and focus on our customers and our business.

By our actions we can invent our future.

Dan Sten Olsson

Göteborg 24 September 2021

In development work, however, it can be both interesting and useful with a look at what has been done before. 

As an example, we find that the first electrically powered vessel was tested on September 13, 1838 on the Neva River in Russia. Funded by the Russian Czar Nicholas I, the Prussian innovator and famous physicist Moritz Hermann von Jacobi had developed an 8-meter long battery-powered boat which reportedly transported a dozen people on the river about 7.5 km (about 4 nautical miles) at a modest 2–3 km per hour during a journey that lasted about 3 hours. The propulsion consisted of an electric motor, partly built of wood, which drove two paddle wheels. Motor output was at about 0.3 kW (roughly equivalent to the output for today’s electric bikes). The batteries were of a non-rechargeable type and there was a considerable amount of smoke from the machinery during the journey. The following year, new attempts were made with improved batteries and increased motor output, which resulted in an almost doubling of speed.

The technological development of electric motors and rechargeable batteries continued and from the end of the 19th century, battery-powered boats were in operation on lakes and rivers including the Thames, where a system of charging stations was established along the river. From the 1920s and onwards, however, interest in battery operation declined as the internal combustion engine became increasingly dominant.

With new times come new challenges and interest in battery-powered vessels, especially ferries, has increased again. With future requirements for emission reductions and energy efficiency, battery operation is considered to be an attractive solution for vessels that operate at moderate distances and provided that there are charging stations.

Well, what has happened during the nearly two centuries that have passed since Jacobi’s first electric boat?  Above all, the rapid development of batteries in recent years has enabled amounts of energy to be stored that previously appeared to be utopian. In the Stena Elektra project, we can therefore plan to transport approximately 1,200 passengers, 160 trailers or 700 passenger cars emission-free approximately 50 nautical miles (just over 90 km) in 3 hours. This requires a battery capacity 50,000 times greater than what Jacobi had (or by comparison, a capacity equivalent to about 1,000 Tesla electric cars). Oddly enough, the 3-hour route coincides with the length of Jacobi’s test trial.

There’s plenty that’s new under the sun, but not everything.

Hans Tistrand

Project Manager,
Stena Teknik

“Our operations started in 1981 with properties in Gothenburg and Malmö in Sweden and only a handful of employees,” says Cecilia Fasth, CEO at Stena Fastigheter. “Today we have over 350 employees and own and manage 385 properties both in Sweden’s metropolitan regions and abroad. We are a family business that has grown, but we are still guided by the same strong entrepreneurial spirit, and we put our hearts into what we do.”

ADMINISTRATION – RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT – SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT

In 1981, when Stena Fastigheter began operations, Dan Sten Olsson was 34 years old and the deputy CEO of Stena AB.

“The shipping business that we ran, and run, is cyclically sensitive, and we started a property management company to give us a more stable leg to stand on,” says Dan Sten Olsson, CEO, Stena AB. “My wife Jane grew up in a house that is 350 years old, and that made me realize that if you take care of a house properly, it can last almost any length of time. Property is thus one of the best assets you can have. I later also understood that it is not enough to just keep up with repairs, our tenants also need to feel safe and happy with where they live. That’s why our relationship management program was created.” 

In the beginning, Stena Fastigheter mainly owned properties in downtown neighborhoods, but during the early 1990s a unique decision was made. In 1994, Stena Fastigheter decided to invest in housing in the Million Programme neighborhood Lindängen in Malmö. The acquisition came to fundamentally affect Stena Fastigheter’s way of working, and social responsibility became a part of Stena Fastigheter’s business concept.

“We put considerable effort into collaboration with the local community and dialogue with our tenants, which quickly contributed to a better environment for residents in Lindängen,” says Cecilia Fredholm Vaarning, Communication and Sustainability Manager at Stena Fastigheter. “This is where our relationship management started, a way of working that today permeates the entire company. Dialogue, local presence and long-term ownership are some of the components in our relationship management that contribute our tenants feeling safe and happy with where they live.”

Stena Fastigheter now owns 26,000 rental apartments in and around Sweden’s larger cities, with many of these in Million Programme neighborhoods like Fisksätra in Nacka, Västra Bellevuegården in Malmö and Tynnered in Gothenburg. The company invests in social activities, upgrades of the existing stock and builds everything from schools and nursing homes to new condos and rental apartments, to further elevate neighborhoods.

“We come from having been investors in buildings, to constructing buildings, and we are now a participant in urban planning,” says Dan Sten Olsson. “We are becoming an increasingly important part of society. And that really feels good.”

THE FUTURE AND STENA FASTIGHETER

A lot has undeniably happened in the past 40 years. But what does the future hold for Stena Fastigheter?

“We are still a strong player in sustainable urban development, where collaboration is the key,” says Cecilia Fasth, CEO of Stena Fastigheter. “Our biggest challenge in the industry is in building climate-neutral, but here we are taking giant strides and doing it together with partners and entrepreneurs. In the next few years, we will invest approximately SEK 3 billion annually in our neighborhoods through new housing, offices and community properties, and a significant part of the investments will be in the refurbishment and development of existing areas. Part of that is the SEK 15 million a year that we invest in collaboration with the local communities through our relationship management.”

Signs of the 40th anniversary celebrations can be seen in the neighborhoods.

HOW WILL STENA FASTIGHETER BE MARKING ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY?

“The pandemic continues to affect our society and our tenants,” says Cecilia Fredholm Vaarning. “This is why, just as in 2020, we have invested in extra summer activities that are adapted to current restrictions. We’re celebrating in this way together with our tenants in the neighborhoods. In addition, we increased the pace and contributed with 539 summer jobs this year. Which is more than ever before. Most summer workers are at our own sites, but we also collaborate with other companies so that our tenants can work with them as well. This is our way of contributing, and our way of celebrating.”

With 117,000 tons of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycled per year, Stena Recycling is the market leader in Italy in recycling of WEEE. Since WEEE is made of 30-40% plastic, there is both a need for and an opportunity in being able to recover plastic from the waste and turn it into pellets that can be used in the production of new products.

By setting up a plastic recycling plant that is able to treat hard plastics generated from the electronics recycling recovery process, in a way that is both economically efficient and in compliance with environmental standards, a circular loop from waste to product will be closed. This means that Stena Recycling can offer a service that does not exist in Italy today. 

“Plastic waste is becoming increasingly difficult to get rid of. This is the first plant that will take care of the recycling of plastic from waste to clean pellets with a quality close to virgin plastic or clean polymers. This investment is necessary for Stena Recycling Italy to strengthen its com-petitiveness in the Italian market,” says Giuseppe Piardi, MD of Stena Recycling Italy.

STRENGTHENING STENA RECYCLING’S REPUTATION AS A COMPLETE CIRCULAR ECONOMY PARTNER

The plastic recycling plant will be located in Angiari, close to the existing Stena Recycling facility there. Production is set to start in June-September 2022. The recycled plastic waste will mainly come from the waste volume of Italy and bordering countries. A well-known technology, already implemented at the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad, Sweden, will be used taking into consideration all improvements done there. 

The main goals with the investment in plastic recycling are to ensure business continuity and to secure the future expansion of Stena Recycling Italy, which will become the reference point for electronics recyclers in Italy due to the stricter EU legislation in waste export.

“It’s also meant to strengthen Stena Recycling’s positioning on the electronics recycling market, where we are a major player, and to increase the profitability throughout the value chain,” Giuseppe explains. “Furthermore, it’ll strengthen Stena Recycling’s reputation as a complete Circular Economy Partner, taking the discussion with our stakeholders to higher levels.”

This autumn, the first ground will be broken on what will become Sweden’s, and one of Europe’s, most advanced battery recycling facilities. The new plant represents an investment of around 250 million SEK and will be located adjacent to the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad.

“We see a strong growth in the sale of electric vehicles where we need to meet our customers’ needs to dispose of spent batteries in a safe and environmentally sound way. This major investment is part of our strategy to be a leader in the collection and mechanical processing of lithium-ion batteries to establish a circular cycle for batteries,” says Fredrik Pettersson, Managing Director of Stena Recycling Sweden.

According to EV-volumes.com, sales of electric vehicles increased by 43 per cent globally in 2020. Furthermore, the number of lithium-ion batteries used in vehicles is expected to increase almost tenfold over the next decade, according to a report by Circular Energy Storage Research & Consulting.

“We are now responding to market demand. We are proud to offer a circular solution for lithium-ion batteries. It will be a big win for the environment and for the life cycle of the batteries when we recover critical metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, which are in short supply, worldwide,” says Fredrik Pettersson.

KEY TO ACHIEVING A CIRCULAR RAW MATERIALS CHAIN

The batteries will initially be collected via Stena Recycling’s 90 facilities in Sweden, and eventually via other countries where Stena Recycling operates. Initial sorting takes place at these facilities, but most of the recycling is then done at the new facility in Halmstad. A collaboration with the multinational company Johnson Matthey also adds another process step to produce fully refined materials that can be used in the production of new lithium-ion batteries. Closing the loop and creating new raw materials for batteries from recycling is key to achieving a circular raw materials chain.

“There are plenty of major players looking to enter this market, but few have Stena Recycling’s capabilities based on our existing infrastructure, customer base, expertise and experience. Thanks to this investment, we are taking an important step towards becoming one of Europe’s leading players in battery recycling,” Fredrik Pettersson ends.

Stena Recycling and Blomsterlandet have been working together for two years to develop a recipe for a more climate-smart potting soil. The tests have been carried out at the Kristianstad branch and the result is a product based on materials that have already been used in society. 

“The collaboration has taught us a lot about soil production. We have developed our relationship with the municipality’s supervisory authority and have been given the green light to work on a larger scale going forward. We have also received approval to process other alternative raw materials together with the compost soil,” says Oskar Håkansson, Stena Recycling Branch Manager in Kristianstad, Sweden.

The product, which is primarily intended for soil improvement and planting in gardens, uses neither peat nor natural sand, which is common in traditional soil products sold in the trade. During the autumn of 2021, 5,000 bags will be sold on a trial basis in Blomsterlandet’s stores in Gothenburg and Stockholm. 

“It is important for us to offer customers climate-smart product choices. We have learned a lot in close cooperation with Stena Recycling and have shown that there are good alternatives with recycled raw materials,” says Fredrik Östergaard, Product manager for garden accessories at Blomsterlandet.

CREATING NEW CIRCULAR VALUES

The soil product has been made from fibre wool from Munksjö paper mill, composted garden waste from a recycling centre, bark and pelleted chicken manure. The properties of the content have been examined through careful laboratory analysis and the soil product has then been evaluated by private farmers during summer. There are many things that need to be right for a product to be attractive on the market; nutritional content, texture, range of uses, weight, price and more.

“In the project, we have openly shared our expertise to get to the finish line. Stena Recycling knows material content and can source and handle the right materials. Blomsterlandet are experts in gardening and know everything about how consumers want to buy and use soil products,” says Alexander Lundberg, Business Developer at Stena Recycling.

Producing soil products from recycled materials is a way to meet the future where peat and natural sand cannot be used to the same extent as now. The new product can also create circular values for waste sources as well as for Blomsterlandet and its customers. 

“The product is partly made from fibre wool, a process waste that would otherwise go to landfill, among other things. Now the materials live on in a new product, which is a big step up the waste hierarchy. There is plenty of fibre wool of similar quality in the industry that can be used in good soil products. We are learning a lot from the cooperation and it also makes it possible to broaden our circular offer,” concludes John Öden, KAM Paper and Pulp Industry at Stena Recycling.

You can compete either at national level and at international level in the Ötillö World Serie which is today the most recognized and competitive circuit. The International circuit allows the best teams in the world to qualify for the Ötillö Final World Championship (WC) in Sweden which is one of the toughest adventure races in the world, teams of two swim between 26 islands and run over them, covering a swiming distance of 10 km and 65 km of trail running. 

However, you don’t need to be an international athlete or run long distance to practice swimrun, you can also practice for fun with your friends or alone. You only need a pair of shoes, googles and a wetsuit.

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF THE ATHLETES?

The spirit of swimrun is based on teamwork. At international level swimrun demands a lot of determination and passion with long hours of training. 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE SPORT?

I started to compete in swimming at a young age, I define myself as a swimmer who has discovered the beauty of trail running and now found swimrun which I enjoy very much. I discovered this sport in 2018 with my teammate and friend Benjamin Dupain who is a competitive trailer and long-distance triathlete (IRONMAN).

WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?

I love swimming and trails, friendship, cohesion, physical and mental exhaustion. Racing Ötillö World Series and preparing for the Final World Championship for 6 September this year has probably been one of the toughest personal challenges in the past 2 years, you can train 20 hours per week, outside of the competitions and professional career (I have always held a full-time job). You need to control your food, sleeping time and wake up early in the morning to train. It sounds terrible but in realty this is what drives me in life, having a goal and getting after it. Swimrun gives you a passion, contact with nature, determination, humility and cohesion with your team partner.

Swimrun and sports in general helps you face multiple objectives and difficulties in your life. I believe life has become easier and I think I have become a happier person.

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS?

All competitive athletes in swimrun train to qualify for the Final World Championship in Sweden. Benjamin and I qualified, and this were probably the main achievement for us, we trained very hard during the last two years to give our best for this 6 September. We won several national swimruns in France, we also performed at top 5 and top 10 level in the Ötillö World Series and did a podium last year in an international merit race. In 2020, we were ranked as the 1st international level team.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOB AT TRITEC MARINE

I joined Tritec Marine and Northern Marine Group recently as Business Development Director. My role is to promote, negotiate and conclude the sales of the solutions offered by Stena Power & LNG Solutions for jettyless LNG transfer and Tritec Marine for concept small scale LNG vessels. I am really happy to start this new adventure in my career and I love the fact Stena is encouraging me to
practice and compete in swimrun.

There are several reasons why it is important to work with diversity and inclusion – not least that companies that succeed in this are also more innovative and profitable. An open and inclusive culture produces creative, dynamic environments, increases employer attractiveness and makes it easier to recruit. It is also motivational for those working at the company, strengthens relationships with customers and other business partners and leads to long-term strong profitability.

“This is an extremely important matter for Stena, which we will now emphasize further at Group level and will be working systematically with in the future,” says Annika Hult, Deputy CEO, Stena AB, and chairs Stena AB’s Diversity & Inclusion Council. “There is also a close connection to the White Book and our core values.”

The other participants in the council are William Olsson, board member, Stena AB; Maria Holmberg, Director, People & Organizational Excellence Stena AB; Ian Hampton, Chief, People, Communications & Fleet Operations Officer, Stena Line; and Vanessa Germain, Commercial Claims Stena Bulk. The Council may be further expanded in the future.

Diversity is about contributing with different perspectives and experiences, and when we talk about this, we’re referring to aspects such as age, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender and sexual orientation.

“Some aspects, such as gender equality, can receive an increased focus and be measured in a clear way, while others cannot,” says Maria Holmberg. “We therefore need to find several different ways of working with diversity and inclusion. Our various Stena companies are already actively working with these issues. The idea is not to replace the important work that takes place there, but to strengthen and supplement it.”

Diversity issues have previously been raised through Stena’s leadership program Ready 4 Anything, with the course Exploring the Golden Minds having a special focus on diversity and increased awareness of which behaviors contribute to inclusion.

On March 8 of this year, a new initiative was taken in the area, when Stena AB started a network for female leaders. The network – which already has around 100 members – will among other things, hold digital meetings twice a year. In the autumn, a series of open seminars on the theme of diversity and inclusion will also be started, which will be available to all employees at Stena.

“I want to do whatever I can to support diversity and inclusion at Stena,” says William Olsson. “We are all different, but we are also the same. At Stena, there must naturally be room for everyone. That we have different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds is an asset. Maybe it makes our joint efforts more difficult in some ways, but it makes them more rewarding in others, and ever more important and stronger.”

Stena RoRo, with its expertise in the field, will assist in the process of selecting new vessels, will serve as a broker in the project and support finalization of contracts in connection with the purchase of the selected vessels that meet the U.S. Maritime Administration’s specific requirements. 

“We contribute both with our knowledge of the market and with our global network in the RoRo sector,” says Ambjörn Fröjd, Commercial Project Manager, Stena RoRo. “In addition, our experience and technical expertise will strengthen cooperation with other parties in the project and thus create additional value”.

“We are really looking forward to the assignment,” says Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo. “This marks yet another milestone in our ongoing, strong collaboration with Crowley that began in the early 1980s.”

The objective of the purchase of new vessels is to rejuvenate the fleet and increase operational reliability, as well as accessibility.

“In 2016, we ordered four vessels with an option for another four,” says Per Westling, managing director for Stena RoRo. “The first four vessels were intended for service within the Stena Line network, but in connection with the order being announced, the concept gained the attention of other shipping companies and twelve vessels have now been ordered in the E-Flexer series. Seven of them have been ordered by Stena RoRo, which has chartered them to prominent shipping companies such as Brittany Ferries, DFDS and Marine Atlantic Inc.”

The twelve vessels in the E-Flexer series feature nine different configurations, all within the framework of the optimized hull designed especially for the series.  

“The shipping industry will be rapidly changing in the next few years and the ability to adapt our vessels to new regulations and new fuels when they emerge is crucial,” adds Per Westling.

The E-Flexer concept now includes a wide range of propulsion systems, from conventional LNG-ready engines with scrubbers, to engines with dual fuel combustion in combination with large hybrid batteries or fuel cell systems, as well as shore connection systems with high power ratings.

“Our engines are also able to adapt to new fuels such as ammonia and green methanol when these become commercially available,” says Staffan Stenfelt, General Manager for new construction at Stena RoRo. “The Stena E-Flexer series is based on a future-proof concept that will continue to be developed in line with our customers’ needs and future environmental requirements.”

ABOUT STENA E-FLEXER

Stena’s E-Flexer class has been developed with a basic concept but is flexible and adapted to customer needs, both commercially and technically. The concept combines cargo and passenger capabilities, and the vessels are substantially larger than today’s standard ferries. The Stena E-Flexer class is at the forefront in terms of sustainability and sets a new standard for emissions, costs and energy efficiency, as well as performance.

Two new ferries to join Stena Line’s Baltic Sea fleet next year

Next year Stena Line will deploy their two new longer 240-meter-long fuel-efficient E-Flexer ferries on the Nynäshamn-Ventspils route. The ferries will have a capacity for 1,200 passengers, an increase of 33 per cent compared to existing ferries, and a total of 3,600 meters of freight lane meters, an increase of 25 per cent.

“We continue to grow together with our customers by strengthening our position and fleet across the Baltic Sea. Demand for capacity in the region keeps increasing as freight customers continue to expand and travel passengers choose ferry travel as their preferred safe form of transport in the wake of the pandemic. These large, modern, and fuel-efficient next generation ferries are the flag ships in the modernisation of our fleet as well as our development of sustainable shipping” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line Group. 

Stena Line’s position as the leader in sustainable shipping is clearly visible and the new vessels are among the most energy efficient RoPax ferries in the world. The E-Flexer ferries are up to 30 per cent more energy efficient than existing vessels, thanks to optimum design of the hulls, propellers, bulbs, and rudders. The vessels are delivered gas-ready, to allow conversion to methanol or liquid natural gas fuel. The new ferries will be equipped to use shore power during port calls to reduce emissions and the electricity connection also enables a conversion to battery hybrid in the future. The vessel will offer efficient loading and unloading with drive-through lanes on the two levels.

Capacity increase on Karlskrona-Gdynia

Stena Line has announced their plans to increase the capacity on the Karlskrona-Gdynia route further during 2022 with the deployment of the two large and modern 222-meter RoPax ferries Stena Scandica and Stena Baltica. The two new Visentini vessels have recently been lengthened and modernised and will add 30 per cent freight capacity and a brand new modern on-board experience for both drivers and passengers on the Karlskrona-Gdynia route.

Through the leadership program Ready 4 Anything, Stena offers opportunities to its leaders to develop their skills for the future. Despite the pandemic, several of the modules included in R4A have nonetheless been held. This applies to Envisioning the Future and The Network Always Wins, which have been digital from the start, and Gain or Drain, which has been temporarily transformed into the digital course Powerup. 

“It is important that we don’t stop because of the present crisis, but continue to take the time to develop and learn new things,” Maria Holmberg, Director People and Organizational Excellence, Stena AB. “During the spring, we had 90 participants in our digital courses, which shows that there is a strong interest and commitment for this among Stena’s leaders.”

From September, the physical modules will start up again and registration is now open at the R4A site. A new digital module, Push your boundaries, has been added. This is included as step two in the module The Unknown Unknown, with the first part being physical and based on interaction with horses. 

Tony Michaelsen, Group Head of Travel Stena Line and Margaret McFadzean, Head of HR, Northern Marine Group, attended the first round of Push your boundaries held in the spring.

“The course provide several aha experiences,” says Tony Michaelsen. “Over the years, I’ve learned that there are solutions to all problems and the course has been a confirmation of this. A common phenomenon when there’s something worrying you is that you keep your thoughts to yourself. But if you turn to people that you don’t usually discuss things with, you may suddenly discover a solution you didn’t even know existed. This is an example of what I have experienced during this course and that were very valuable.”

“As a leader, it’s important to be authentic towards yourself, to trust in the ways that work well for you and not try to copy someone else’s leadership style,” says Margaret McFadzean. “Although we’re naturally influenced and inspired by the leadership styles of others, it is not certain that they would suit your personality. It was therefore interesting to see how all the leaders in our group had different ways of finding solutions to the problems we faced – and that there is not one right way to do something, but several. The key is to have a common guiding principle to start from, such as the White Book. During the weeks that the course was conducted, we also managed to solve a number of challenges related to our regular duties.”

Stena is providing its leaders with the chance to develop their skills with the leadership program Ready 4 Anything. Leaders at Stena are responsible for further developing the capabilities of their employees, business and themselves, which requires new skills when the world around us is so volatile. 

Stena is offering its leaders the chance to develop their skills in order to capture the opportunities of the future. The program is divided into six modules, conducted on an ongoing basis, and is intended for all leaders at Stena. 

Working with our global network of offices and alongside port authorities, assigned Northern Marine seafarers are being provided with opportunities to be vaccinated.

At the time of writing, authorities in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and the United States are offering visiting international seafarers the chance to be vaccinated in port during port turnarounds.   

Northern Marine’s seafarer workforce is made up of a diverse group of nationalities, and the opportunities to be vaccinated while working may be the first chance some have to receive a vaccine.

Almost one third of the seafarers who work on Stena Bulk tankers have now been fully vaccinated and Northern Marine continues to actively seek new vaccination opportunities for crews, both in their home countries and in port locations around the world.

Barrie Finlayson, Head of Crewing, Northern Marine Manning Services, said: “The most recent data available suggests that the link between positive cases and hospitalisations for those vaccinated shows the vaccine diminishes the impact of the virus on an individual.”

“This news is encouraging as we very much see a successful vaccine programme as an opportunity to provide protection to our seafarers and also allow freer global movement of people and we encourage all our seafaring colleagues to accept the opportunity to be vaccinated, whether at home or in a port.

“The health and safety of our colleagues will always remain our number one priority and until such time that we can demonstrate significant progress on our seafarer vaccination uptake, we will continue with our robust safety protocol that has been in place since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Eighteen months on from the beginning of the pandemic, these protocols still create challenges for our colleagues, such as restrictions on collective movement when travelling, and requirements to isolate before boarding.

“Despite these challenges, they understand the importance and effectiveness of the protocols and continue to adhere to them, which in turn has ensured we have been largely successful thus far in limiting the spread of covid-19 onto our vessels.

“The efforts of our colleagues at sea in following the protocol are very much appreciated and are a clear demonstration of the collective ambition to continue to protect each other.”

Northern Marine manages a vast range of different tankers and gas carriers, operating all over the world.

Vessels are managed from key operational hubs including Glasgow, Houston and Singapore, with crewing offices in locations including Glasgow, Manila, Mumbai and St Petersburg.

Barrie added: “In certain countries and regions in the world vaccination programmes have progressed significantly, and therefore some populations are moving to what they describe as a ‘new phase’ in the pandemic.

“Our focus on providing opportunities for our seafarers to be vaccinated is a united global approach across our network of offices and is coupled with a communication campaign to our colleagues at sea highlighting the importance of getting a vaccine.”