STENA CONNECTA © Stena Line

Second NewMax RoRo, STENA CONNECTA, has been delivered

Ro-roOn 19 November, Stena Line’s second of two NewMax RoRo vessels for the Belfast–Heysham route, STENA CONNECTA, was delivered from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling Weihai and is expected to enter regular service from January 2026.

The first vessel in the series, STENA FUTURA, entered service on the Belfast–Heysham route on 22 September.

The two dual fuel methanol/battery-hybrid newbuilds represent a 40% increase in capacity on the route once both are in service, replacing the previous tonnage.

STENA CONNECTA has two 28x4 metre Norsepower Rotor Sails™ installed that can save up to 9% in fuel on its Irish Sea route between Belfast and Heysham. Its sister vessel, STENA FUTURA, was delivered “Rotor Sail Ready,” meaning it is prepared for the retrofit installation of Norsepower rotor sails.

• Length: 147 m
• Beam: 26.3 m
• Yard: CMI Shipyard, Weihai, China
• Passenger capacity: 12
• Crew: 26
• Height clearance: 5.3 m
• Width clearance: 12 m
• Freight capacity: 2,848 lane metres
• Route: Belfast – Heysham (approx. 12 sailings per week)

Nov 20 2025