STENA RORO'S RECORD-FAST CONVERSION
DEMONSTRATES HIGH CAPACITY
Conversion of the former ferry Stena Superfast X is currently underway in Pireaus in Greece. The customer is the French shipping company Corsica Linea, which provides service on the Marseille — Corsica — North Africa route. Stena RoRo received the order in December and delivery is expected after a scant five months, as early as mid-June. The conversion includes a general freshening-up and adaptation of the interior, as well as repainting, expansion of the number of cabins and installation of hybrid scrubbers.
The converted ferry will sail under the name A Nepita and has been painted in the Corsica Linea colors, which are red, white, black and grey. The vessel is being converted from a day to night ferry and fitted with an additional 94 new cabins and 33 existing crew cabins are being converted passenger cabins. Total number of new passenger cabins is increasing from 45 to 176. The A Nepita will be able to operate both on the shipping company’s domestic lines and between France and North Africa.
“The conversion has gone extremely fast and we’re very happy with the results thus far,” says Niklas Andersson, General Manager for Operations at Stena RoRo.
“The Mediterranean is a familiar business area for us, but in this case it’s a new customer and that’s especially nice. This assignment – taking the customer’s wishes, translating them into action and acting quickly – is what we’re best at.”
“The procurement and process with inspection has moved extremely fast, cooperation with the suppliers has gone very well and we are very pleased with the execution of the entire project,” says Claes Tisell, Site Manager for Stena RoRo and on site at the shipyard in Greece. “Despite major difficulties related to the coronavirus (Covid-19), with shipyard workers and contractors among others, forced into quarantine, we’ve still managed to stay on schedule.”
Claes Tisell, Site Manager for Stena RoRo at the shipyard in Greece. Piotr Trocki, Project Electrician and Mikael Karlsson, Project Engineer.
The location where the conversion is underway is not a traditional shipyard. The vessel is tied up at a dock along with the other vessels and thus has a piece of land to which subcontractors have access. The entire job is then coordinated by a local firm that is responsible for carrying out the work on time and within budget. A floating dock is used as necessary.
“This is a known and appreciated concept in the Mediterranean and not least in the Pireaus, which entails considerable freedom in planning and execution,” Claes explains.
The ferry, built in 2002, was formerly called the Stena Superfast X and has among other things, operated under Stena Line’s management on the line between Dublin and Holyhead.
ABOUT CORSICA LINEA
Corsica Linea is a French, medium-sized shipping company with a fleet of 7–8 ships. The company was set up in connection with the end of the state-owned and problem-ridden SNCM in 2016. Service is provided between Marseille, Corsica and North Africa. www.corsicalinea.com
FOLLOW THE CONSTRUCTION FROM THE BEGINNING THROUGH TO TODAY
| FACTS A NEPITA | |
| Length | 203 metres |
| Draught | 6.60 metres |
| Width | 25.70 metres |
| Capacity | 1,930+411 (for cars) lane metres 1,200 passengers, 176 cabins |
