Stena Line, leading ferry company, has announced details of a new addition
to its Northern Corridor fleet. From early November the company will
introduce a third ship, the Stena Navigator, on its Stranraer-Belfast
route. The vessel will cater for both passenger and freight traffic with a
capacity of up to 1,500 passengers and up to 280 cars or 50 lorries. The
addition of the vessel and an onboard upgrade programme that’s currently
under way in Belfast Port represents a total investment in the route of
over £6m.

Stena Navigator will be substantially upgraded and creates an opportunity
to introduce a new cruiseferry concept. With substantial passenger areas
and expanded free wifi and free movies, the ship will offer a new
travelling experience.

The introduction of the Stena Navigator will expand Stena Line’s current
fleet of the HSS Stena Voyager and Stena Caledonia and provides the company
with an opportunity to make a number of changes to its existing timetable
which better reflect the needs of its customer base. It means Stena Line
can now offer up to 14 crossings on the route each day.

Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Stranraer-Belfast Route Manager, said: “The
introduction of the Stena Navigator will give us the opportunity to
provide our customers with an increased number of travel and timetable
options. The additional capacity on the route will also enable us to expand
in time for what we hope will be a more buoyant 2010.

“While trading conditions remain challenging, Stena Line is confident about
the future and is putting the necessary investment in place to ensure that
it can leverage a competitive advantage when the economic upturn arrives.
We will announce details of our revised timetable over the next few weeks.”

Over the last 10 years Stena Line has invested over £100m in its Northern
Corridor route including the opening of a new £37m terminal at Belfast
Port last June. At present a planning application to the Scottish
Government to establish a similar facility to the north of Cairnryan is
under consideration.