Stena Europe, which left the Rosslare-Fishguard route recently, with ropax Stena Nordica resuming service, is to return to the Strait of Gibraltar, where it had been on charter last year, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The Stena Europe, built in 1981, after making its final sailing on the Ireland-Wales route, departed from Rosslare on 14 April, when the veteran ferry headed for A&P Falmouth, Cornwall, where it entered dry dock. This was followed by Irish Ferries fast-ferry Dublin Swift arriving at the dry dock where the Stena Europe had occupied, with the conventional 24,828-ton ferry shifting to a nearby layover berth.
Afloat contacted Stena Line to confirm if Stena Europe would operate for Africa Morocco Link (AML), as this month the Swedish operator made an agreement to acquire a 49% shareholding in AML. The company commented that the ‘Stena Europe will indeed be chartered to our new AML route of Tanger Med-Algeciras this summer.’
Stena Europe was tracked by Afloat yesterday when off Cornwall, having departed Falmouth, as the 2,076 passenger/456 car/60 truck ferry is bound for Algeciras, with a delivery arrival expected on 2 May. When Stena Europe enters service, the 149-metre ferry will be in direct competition in the Port of Algerciras (see separate story) with another Scandinavian-based operator, DFDS, which only in January acquired FRS Iberia / Maroc.
When Stena Europe was previously on the Strait of Gibraltar, it was also operating on the Tangier Med-Algeciras route, but for a different company when running during the peak period of Operation Marhaba.
Stena told Afloat that the charter to AML is temporary. The company did not reveal where the ageing ferry will go after its Strait of Gibraltar service.
