Stena Line, the Swedish ferry operator, has agreed to acquire the ro-ro freight ferry Somerset from CLdN, the Luxembourg short-sea shipping group, to serve the Dublin Port-Birkenhead (Liverpool) route. The move reshapes capacity on the central Irish Sea corridor and lets Stena redeploy two of its own ships to Rotterdam-Harwich.

Stena Line is headquartered in Gothenburg and reported revenue of SEK 19,418 million (approximately €1.75 billion) and operational EBITDA of SEK 3,719 million (approximately €335 million) for 2025. CLdN is headquartered in Luxembourg, employs almost 4,000 people and operates offices and ports in 12 countries.

Delivery of Somerset is expected later in October, subject to closure and transfer. After a period in dry dock for refurbishment and repainting, the vessel will enter service on the Dublin-Liverpool route in December as Stena Freighter. Somerset has previously operated in Stena Line’s network as a chartered vessel.

The structural driver is the expiry of Stena’s charters on Rotterdam-Harwich. Mistral, chartered from Godby Shipping, and Thuleland, chartered from Wallenius SOL, will be returned to their owners at the end of the year.

Stena Hibernia and Stena Scotia, currently on Dublin-Liverpool, will be redeployed to Rotterdam-Harwich, with Stena Freighter replacing their service. The Dublin-Liverpool freight route will return to one vessel instead of two, as has been the case for most of 2026.

Magnus Lander, head of network and business development at Stena Line, said, “We are very pleased with the agreement to acquire Somerset. It’s a vessel that fits well within our network and has the flexibility and capacity to operate on several of our routes. We know Somerset well from her previous service with us and know what she can deliver. With Somerset, we have an excellent option with significant capacity for the Dublin–Liverpool route.”

Lander added, “The acquisition also enables us to strengthen our presence on the Rotterdam–Harwich route by deploying our own two vessels, Stena Hibernia and Stena Scotia.”

For the sector, the deal shows Irish Sea freight capacity being rebalanced through vessel purchases rather than charters, with Dublin-Liverpool retaining single-vessel freight service.

Source: Afloat.ie / Shippax / element61