Stena's new vessels debuts on the Irish Sea

Photo: Stena Line

Stena Estrid, operated by Stena Line, started her service on the Holyhead to Dublin route. During her maiden voyage, she had to brave the dangers of Storm Brendan, before arriving at Dublin Port for the traditional maritime water cannon salute.

At 215 m in length, space to carry 120 cars and 1k passengers, and a freight capacity of 3.1k lane meters, Stena Estrid is larger than most standard RoPax vessels in operation, offering a 50% increase in freight tonnage.

The vessel will make two daily return trips on the route, each clocking at three hours and 15 minutes. While on board, the passengers will have the possibility of passing time in Stena Estrid's Sky Bar, two Happy World children's play areas, a relaxing Hygge reclining lounge, Stena Plus lounge, two movie lounges, a more spacious Truckers lounge, Taste restaurant, as well as numerous shopping stalls.

The name Estrid is connected to Stena Line's Scandinavian heritage. It is an Old Norse eastern-Nordic version of the name Astrid. Estrid is commonly found on old runestones and means 'divinely beautiful'.

Stena Estrid is the first of three new next generation ferries that will operate on the Irish Sea as part of a multi-million-pound investment by Stena Line in the region. Sister ship Stena Edda is expected to commence operations from Liverpool to Belfast this spring, with a third vessel Stena Embla to be introduced on the same route in early 2021.

Ian Davies, Trade Director (Irish Sea South), Stena Line, said, "[…]The introduction of Stena Estrid on the Holyhead to Dublin route is the result of a very significant investment that reflects our commitment to this extremely important region - a commitment that will ultimately see three of the world's most modern ferries operating between Ireland and Britain."