Due to the growing demand for freight transport, ferry operator Stena Line will introduce a fourth vessel on the Gdynia – Karlskrona (southern Sweden) route at the end of the summer holidays.
In 2016, Stena Line recorded a significant increase in freight transport on the Gdynia – Karlskrona route. This trend was also visible in the first five months of the current year.
– The route between Poland and Sweden is strategically very important for Stena Line. Furthermore, it constitutes an important element of the infrastructure connecting Central Europe with Scandinavia, serving as a Motorway of the Sea. Over the last few years, we have observed a steady increase in demand for our transport services. We believe that this trend will continue – said Marek Kiersnowski, Director of the Gdynia – Karlskrona line at Stena Line.
The fourth vessel is intended to supplement the current fleet, consisting of two twin passenger-car ferries (Stena Spirit and Stena Vision) and the ro-pax Stena Baltica. The new vessel will be introduced on the Gdynia – Karlskrona line at the end of the summer holidays, on August 28, 2017. It will be the m/v Gute, a vessel chartered from Gotlandsbolaget. Together with the Stena Vision, Stena Spirit, and Stena Baltica vessels, it will offer more space for freight transport. The new unit has a cargo lane length of 856 meters and will offer space for transporting trucks with drivers, trailers, containers, and roll-on cargo, while the other three vessels carry freight, passenger cars, and passengers on board. The m/v Gute vessel will perform 8 sailings per week.
Even before the m/v Gute enters the line, Stena Line will increase the frequency of its ferry sailings by 4 departures for the summer period, when increased demand for passenger and car transport is forecast. After these changes are implemented, the weekly number of sailings between Gdynia and Karlskrona will increase from 36 (spring period) to 40 (summer period), and after the introduction of the fourth unit, the m/v Gute, this number will increase to 44 departures per week. This means 3 or 4 departures from Gdynia to Sweden every day.
– We are noticing consistently high demand for transport. However, for our customers, it is important not only how much space we offer, but also what frequency of sailings we propose and how we adapt to their needs. Thanks to the introduction of the m/v Gute, we will develop the freight capacity of the line and will be able to adapt to our customers’ needs to a greater extent while maintaining high-quality services, and this is in line with the development strategy adopted by Stena Line. We want to maintain a strong market position in this way. We will be helped in this not only by the new unit but also by the appropriate use of the capabilities of the Baltic Port multimodal terminal in Karlskrona, as well as the future new ferry terminal in the Port of Gdynia, as important transport hubs for both passengers and freight – said Marek Kiersnowski.
The first departure of the M/V Gute vessel is scheduled for August 28 of this year.