Stena Line to acquire RoRo vessel and reorganise European freight routes
Stena Line has reached an agreement to acquire the RoRo vessel Somerset from CLdN as part of a planned reorganisation of its European freight network, affecting services between Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Subject to completion of the acquisition and transfer of ownership, the vessel is expected to enter service on the Dublin–Liverpool route in early December 2026. Following delivery, anticipated later in October, Somerset will undergo refurbishment and repainting during a dry-docking period before being renamed Stena Freighter.
The vessel previously operated within Stena Line’s network under a charter agreement. Built in 1999 at Flender Werft in Germany, it measures 183.4 metres in length and offers 2,504 lane metres of cargo capacity.
Fleet changes across Dublin–Liverpool and Rotterdam–Harwich
The acquisition forms part of wider changes to Stena Line’s freight operations, including the redeployment of two company-owned vessels to the Rotterdam–Harwich route.
That service is currently operated by two chartered vessels, Mistral from Godby Shipping and Thuleland from Wallenius SOL. Both charter agreements are approaching expiration, and the vessels are scheduled to return to their respective owners at the end of 2026.
Stena Line intends to replace them with Stena Scotia and Stena Hibernia, which will be transferred from the Irish Sea and Dublin–Liverpool operations.
As a result, the Dublin–Liverpool freight route will return to a single-vessel operation, replacing the two-vessel arrangement maintained for much of 2026. The newly acquired Stena Freighter is expected to take over the service, while Rotterdam–Harwich will continue operating with two vessels.
Magnus Lander, Head of Network & Business Development at Stena Line, said the company was familiar with Somerset following its previous deployment within the network.
“We know Somerset well from her previous service with us and know what she can deliver,” said Lander.
He added that the acquisition would allow Stena Line to deploy its own vessels on the Rotterdam–Harwich route.
The planned changes remain dependent on completion of the vessel acquisition and the associated fleet transfers. Stena Line has not disclosed the purchase price of Somerset.
