SOMERSET

Stena Line confirms purchase of SOMERSET for Birkenhead–Dublin

Ro-roStena Line has confirmed that it has reached an agreement to acquire the RoRo vessel SOMERSET from CLdN. Subject to closing and transfer, the 21,005 GT ship will be renamed STENA FREIGHTER and enter service on the Birkenhead (Liverpool)–Dublin route in early December. The purchase frees up the 13,017 GT, 1,692 lane metre STENA SCOTIA and her sister STENA HIBERNIA, which will move to the Harwich–Rotterdam (Europoort) RoRo service.

Delivery of SOMERSET is expected later in October. She will then go into dry dock for refurbishment and repainting. The vessel is no stranger to Stena Line, having been chartered for the Harwich–Rotterdam service for several years.

Harwich–Rotterdam is currently operated with two chartered vessels: MISTRAL from Godby Shipping and THULELAND from Wallenius SOL. Both charters are due to expire, and the two ships will be returned to their owners at the end of the year. The route will continue as a two-ship operation with STENA SCOTIA and STENA HIBERNIA.

The Irish Sea route will revert to a single, larger-capacity vessel after being operated with two ships for most of 2026, offering one daily departure from both Birkenhead and Dublin. SOMERSET’s ability to use the double-level linkspans in both ports may prove decisive. It would cut turnround times, allowing slower sailing speeds and lower emissions. Stena Line’s Birkenhead terminal, a focal point for its Irish Sea services, currently handles two daily RoPax sailings from Belfast using the double-level linkspan, as well as a single freight sailing to Belfast with the STENA FORWARDER.

Built by Flender Werft in Germany, SOMERSET is 183.4 metres long and offers around 2,500 lane metres of freight capacity. She is an unusual RoRo, one of three Stora box carriers in her series. She has a single two-stroke Sulzer 7RTA52U main engine with an output of 10,920 kW. The engine is located in the foreship, with a very long shaftline to the single CP propeller. Even so, the vessel has proven reliable and economical.

“We are very pleased with the agreement to acquire SOMERSET. It’s a vessel that fits well within our network and has the flexibility and capacity to operate on several of our routes. We know SOMERSET well from her previous service with us and know what she can deliver,” says Magnus Lander, Head of Network & Business Development at Stena Line. “With SOMERSET, we have an excellent option with significant capacity for the Dublin–Liverpool route.”

Lander adds that the acquisition will also allow Stena Line to strengthen its presence on Rotterdam–Harwich by deploying its own two vessels.

okt 15 2026