Stena Hollandica, launched in January 2010, is the first of two identical Ropax ferries built by Wadan Yards in Warnemünde and nearby Wismar, Germany for

Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major unit of Ste ...

.
RoPax-Fähre bei Wadan Yards aufgeschwommen
', Schiff&Hafen, 10 June 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2013. The second of the two ships, launched towards the end of 2010, is '' Stena Britannica''. Both ships operate (2012) across the southern North Sea between

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

and Hook of Holland providing a twice daily service (taking seven hours) from each side. The ships were specifically designed for this route.

Power and its transmission

''Stena Hollandica'' has four main MAN

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

engines, producing between them 33,600 kW, and providing for a maximum speed of 22

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot may also refer to: Places * Knot, Nancowry, a village in India Archaeology * Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life. * Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot Arts, entertainme ...

(25 mph). Two of the engines are rated at 9,600 kW and the other two at 7,200 kW. The engines are connected via two gearboxes to two

controllable pitch propeller In marine propulsion, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change the blade pitch. Reversible propellers—those where the pitch can be set to negative values—can also ...

s. The two rudders, one behind each propeller, are of the Becker flap type with twisted leading edges. Control of the bow while docking is by two tunnel thrusters. Heat from the main engines is also used to heat the ship.

Loading characteristics

The vehicle decks can be loaded on two levels from both the bow and stern on decks 3 and 5 and there are two tier

linkspan A linkspan or link-span is a type of drawbridge used mainly in the operation of moving vehicles on and off a roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) vessel or ferry, particularly to allow for tidal changes in water level. Linkspans are usually found at ferry t ...

s at both Harwich and Hook of Holland to accommodate the ship.

Extended gestation

The ferries, then designated "RoPax 55" ferries, were originally ordered from the ship builders Waden Yards (subsequently subsumed into Nordic Yards Wismar) by

in 2006. The total value of the order amounted to approximately €400 million. Delays arose when Stena temporarily withdrew the order in response to economic difficulties being experienced by Waden Yards. After further negotiations the order was reinstated, but the new agreement included a price cut of 6% or approximately €24 million. The ships having been completed, naming ceremonies took place on 8 June 2010 for the "Stena Hollandica" at the Hook of Holland and on 19 October 2010 at

for the "Stena Britannica".Stena Britannica Ferry to Holland
Stena Line

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stena Hollandica 2009 ships Ferries of England Ships built in Wismar Hollandica