SUCCESSFUL SHIPBUILDING IN

CORONA TIMES

Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, not much has been the same, and the pandemic has caused difficulties in production and deliveries in many industries. It is all the more gratifying to note that shipbuilding under Stena RoRo's management in spite of it all, has gone quite smoothly.

“The Newbuilding project has presented major challenges in these corona times, especially considering that the ships are being built so far from home,” says Per Westling, CEO, Stena RoRo. “But we have succeeded beyond expectations to deliver on time with excellent quality and without major problems. Yes, even ahead of schedule. Moreover, we have been spared from more serious illnesses among our staff and we are very grateful for that.”

E-FLEXER IN CHINA

The order for the construction of the first four Stena E-Flexer RoPax vessels of nine was placed with the CMI Jinling shipyard in Weihai, China in 2016. During the pandemic 2020-2021, three ships have been delivered to date. The Galicia to Brittany Ferries, the Stena Embla to Stena Line and the Côte d’Opale to DFDS. All three deliveries have been on time and for the Côte d’Opale, six weeks ahead of schedule.

The E-Flexer as a concept is based on a specific basic design, but each ship is adapted in different ways to the customer’s specific wishes.

Staffan Stenfelt is responsible for the Newbuilding activities at Stena RoRo and thus the construction of the E-Flexer vessels, but has not been in China since January of last year. Instead, there have been a lot of Teams meetings.

“The new conditions have required us to adjust our approach,” says Staffan Stenfelt. “Everyone’s had to adapt. With the quarantine rules, requiring three weeks in quarantine, travel has naturally been far from the usual frequency. But considerable time is spent checking and testing to maintain quality, and I would say that a prerequisite for the good results we’ve achieved was that production was up and running before the pandemic outbreak and that there were well established contacts.”

Stena RoRo has a staff of 20 on site at the shipyard in Weihai, including six Europeans. Bo Christensen is the Site Manager. Last summer Bo was home in Sweden for a few months, but otherwise has spent all his time at the shipyard in China.

“In the beginning of 2020, the situation was understandably chaotic, but quickly routines were established, which were meticulously observed throughout the first half of 2020,” says Bo Christensen. “Masks were required by everyone at all times, temperatures were taken three times a day and the slightest deviations tracked. There were security guards on site, keeping a watchful eye on everything and everyone. Here at home, we would probably consider this an intrusion on our rights to privacy, but not in China. In any event, with all the precautions there were no interruptions to production, and everyone stayed healthy.”

 

RECORD-BREAKING CONVERSION IN GREECE

In the summer of 2020, after barely three months, the former day ferry the Stena Superfast X was delivered from the shipyard in Piraeus, Greece, now converted to the night ferry A Nepita. The ship was freshened up, repainted, given custom furnishings, many more cabins and outfitted with hybrid scrubbers.

During the conversion, two Stena RoRo employees were at the shipyard in Piraeus to oversee the project. Niklas Andersson, general manager of Technical & Commercial Operations at Stena RoRo was the project manager. “All travel was difficult or even impossible at times because the entire country was under lockdown for weeks at a time. When we could travel, there was a two-week quarantine, so there were many nights spent in hotels.”

At the shipyard, the required safety equipment was used according to Covid-19 restrictions, but there were times when shipyard workers and subcontractors were forced into quarantine. However, there were no interruptions to production. 

“The conversion has gone extremely fast and we’re very happy with the results,” says Niklas Andersson, General Manager Technical & Commercial Operations, at Stena RoRo.

“Collaboration between the suppliers went smoothly and although it was sometimes cumbersome with major difficulties related to the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to the great flexibility of all concerned, we still managed to keep the timetable and delivered to our customer on time.”

EXTENSION AND MODERNIZATION IN TURKEY

Extensive modernization of the RoPax vessels Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey has been underway at the Turkish shipyard Sedef in Tuzla, outside Istanbul, during 2020–2021. Stena RoRo is responsible for design and project execution, which involves, among other things, splitting the ship in half and installing a new midbody section, whereby extending the ship by 36 meters.

On site in Istanbul, the project team with site manager Torbjörn Rapp has included about ten people, half of whom are residents of Sweden. As safety measures in the yard, masks are used at all times and when passing the gates into the yard area, temperatures are taken. During the spring of 2020, there was a ban on all travel to and from Turkey, forcing staff to remain in the country. The second wave came in late autumn and half of the site team was infected by Covid-19. No one became seriously ill, but some were unable to work for several weeks, which entailed that operations were reduced during the Christmas/New Year holidays.

The former Stena Lagan, now the Stena Scandica, will be delivered from the Turkish shipyard Sedef in Tuzla outside Istanbul in mid June 2021.

Turkey has been one of the hardest-hit countries during the pandemic and the entire country has been under lockdown for longer periods.

“For the employees on site in Turkey during the lockdowns, the situation has been very difficult,” says Mikael Abrahamsson, Manager  Projects & Conversions, Stena RoRo. “Being ‘trapped’ without being able to go out, and separated from family and friends for longer periods has, of course, been trying, at the same time as the project was falling behind schedule.”

The high levels of infection and risk minimization have meant that travel opportunities have been limited – if possible at all. Mikael was at the shipyard at the beginning when the project started and then a few times last summer. Otherwise, work has been carried out through Teams meetings from Gothenburg.

“It was nonetheless important that the project got underway before the pandemic broke out so that relationships could be established,” says Mikael Abrahamsson. “The shipyard and subcontractor personnel have been hit by infections and it has been a challenge for them to find replacements, which has affected continuity, while the project itself has been a challenge in terms of time, complexity and scope. But they are ambitious and we are satisfied with how well everyone worked together under the circumstances.”

The former Stena Lagan, now the Stena Scandica, will be delivered in mid June 2021.

In the summer of 2020, after barely three months, the nightferry A Nepita was delivered from the shipyard in Pireus, Greece.

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