Greek shipping company Attica Group has signed an agreement with Stena RoRo for the charter with purchase option of two E-Flexer vessels, to be built by Stena RoRo at the CMI Jinling Weihai Shipyard, China.
The two new vessels, each with an overall length of 240m, are the largest ro-pax vessels ordered by a Greek shipping company. With 1500 passenger capacity and 3,320 lane metre cargo decks (approximately 200 freight units) per vessel for the transportation of private vehicles, trucks and trailers, the new vessels will enhance the overall transport capacity in the Adriatic routes.
The new vessels will be methanol-ready and carry a ‘Battery’ notation, with engines that are designed to operate with three different fuel types in view of required flexibility for future requirements. At the same time, they are designed and equipped with technology to optimise fuel consumption alongside a series of high efficiency technical features that will contribute to the reduction of the Group’s GHG emissions per transport work by 60% compared to existing vessels.
The agreement provides for the construction by Stena RoRo of two vessels, on behalf of Attica Group, under a 10-year bareboat charter scheme, including a purchase option as from the end of the fifth year of hire period. Upon the delivery of the two new vessels, which has been scheduled for April and August 2027 respectively, Attica Group plans to proceed with a fleet redeployment which will allow Attica to further reduce its environmental footprint through the retirement of older vessels and thus decrease the average age of its fleet.
The design of the vessels is the result of the collaboration between Stena RoRo and Attica’s shipbuilding teams on the basis of the successful E-Flexer model, resulting in a modern and environmentally efficient vessel with significant reduction in GHG emissions.
Panos Dikaios, CEO Attica Group said: “For thee decades, Attica Group innovates through the design and construction of new vessels such as the Superfast series that redefined the Adriatic routes connections in terms of quality and speed, the sister vessels Blue Star Patmos and Blue Star Delos that upgraded massively the travel experience in the Aegean routes and the latest addition of the three state-of-the-art, Aero Highspeed which have already contributed substantially to the increase of visitors to the islands of Saronic Gulf. Our agreement with Stena RoRo for the charter of two new state-of-the-art vessels, sets new standards for the entire Greek ferry industry, drastically reduces our environmental footprint, redefines the travel experience and responds dynamically to the challenges of tomorrow.”
Per Westling, MD Stena RoRo added: “These E-Flexer vessels to Attica have been jointly designed and ordered as the most bespoke E-Flexers so far. The design is extremely versatile and the ships will, with their inherent flexibility of different fuels, battery hybrid operation and many other fuel saving features, play an important role in the green transition of the Attica Superfast Adriatic ro-pax service”.
Image: Stena E-Flexer, two more of which have been ordered for Attica Group (source: Stena RoRo)
