STENA NORDICA GAINS
INCREASED PASSENGER CAPACITY
Stena RoRo is now modifying the ferry Stena Nordica at the Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. Stena Line is the client, and the aim is to increase the maximum number of passengers on board. Work began in early January with estimated delivery from the shipyard in mid-March. This summer, the ferry will enter service in the southern Irish Sea corridor between Fishguard and Rosslare.
Before modification, the onboard capacity was 450 people (of which 400 were passengers). The capacity is now increasing to 700 people on board (of which 650 will be passengers).
TWO MAJOR CHANGES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED:
- With more passengers on board, there will be more weight high up in the ship, which means increased stability requirements. These have been met by constructing a “duck tail” on and under the transom, thereby increasing the ship’s stability
- A new steel structure has been built on top of the helipad on deck 6. In the 455 m2 space, new public areas will be built, including two movie Lounges, a “hygge” lounge and a Stena Plus lounge. On deck 4, a restaurant has been fitted out according to a new concept. The shop and reception area have been adapted to the current design profile.
“The modifications entail an increased weight of 270 tonnes,” says Stena RoRo project manager Johan Kippel. “And to compensate for the increased weight, the draft has been increased by 15 cm. This in turn, has the effect that the ship can take on an additional 240 tonnes. In parallel with the project, Stena Line has carried out periodic maintenance with, among other things, a major assessment of the cargo handling equipment.”
A new steel structure has been built on top of the helipad. Tomasz Piatek, Project Engineer Electrical, Gert Knudsen, Interior Supervisor, Johan Kippel, Project Manager, Filip Arnerius, Site Manager, Josefin Stålhammar, Stena Line Superintendent Dockings and Projects.
The project is being carried out in collaboration with Stena Line and Stena Teknik, which has provided the technical expertise. Stena RoRo is carrying out the actual modifications and is on site in Gdansk with a team of five people.
“We are very pleased with the modifications and implementation at the shipyard in Gdansk, both in terms of collaboration and time frames, as well as the technology,” says Johan Kippel, who is frequently on site at the shipyard.
Stena Nordica is a medium-sized RoPax ferry, built in 2000 by the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
She has been in service for Stena Line between Karlskrona and Gdynia and previously on the Irish Sea between Holyhead and Dublin. The Stena Nordica is 170 meters long and 26 meters wide.
