Ferry company, Stena Line has signed a significant deal with a major UK port operator, the Peel Ports Group to operate from Heysham Port, England for the next 77-years until 2100.

A twice daily freight service is run on the Belfast-Heysham route providing a vital trade corridor between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The collaborative agreement demonstrates the strong working partnership between the two organisations and seeks to further strengthen their long-term relationship. The news follows last week’s announcement by Stena of a new freight service on the Dublin-Birkenhead (Liverpool) route which is due to start in February.

The new freight service will use the 12 Quays Terminal at Birkenhead from where Stena operate an existing passenger/freight route to Belfast. Earlier this year, Stena Line and Peel Ports signed a similar agreement for the 12 Quays Terminal to operate from the Port until the end of the century.

This year, Stena Line announced it is making a multi-million-pound investment in the Belfast-Heysham route with two new-build state-of-the-art ‘NewMax’ ferries, which will boost freight capacity by 80%. The first vessel due to begin on the route in 2025, these hybrid ferries will be equipped to operate on methanol fuel marking a key milestone in Stena Line’s roadmap to sustainable shipping.

Peel Ports, working collaboratively with Stena Line, plans to invest in new terminal management and a ‘smart gate’ automatic check-in system to improve customer experience at the port, and will increase the parking for trailers to accommodate the additional capacity of the new vessels.

In addition, the parties will aim to secure the shore infrastructure to provide additional electrical capacity to facilitate the future goal of powering the new ships by green shore power. This will be a further step in a long-term ambition to establish a green shipping corridor.

Niclas Martensson, CEO of Stena Line says, “Our business on our Belfast-Heysham route has thrived in recent years and is a vital connection for freight transport across the Irish Sea. With the upcoming introduction of our NewMax hybrid ships, this route represents a unique opportunity for Stena Line to offer our freight customers more sustainable transport between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and will be a key milestone in our sustainability journey.”

Carl-Johan Hellner, Chief Operating Officer Ports & Terminals, Stena Line adds, “Following our signing of the Birkenhead 12 Quays deal earlier this year, this agreement reenforces our long-term commitment to Peel Ports Group and further strengthens our partnership. Heysham is an important hub for our Irish Sea business and we’ve been developing our operations here year on year. We’re excited for the future of the route and to building on its current success.”

David Huck, Chief Operating Officer at Peel Ports Group says, “We have been collaborating successfully with Stena Line for many years and it’s fantastic to establish another long-term agreement with the business.”

“This deal reaffirms our promise to continue developing and maintaining services across the Irish sea, while also showcasing our ongoing investment into our Heysham operation. We’re confident the route will continue to prove hugely successful for many decades to come.”

The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

Stena Line has signed a new deal with Peel Ports, a major UK port operator, to operate their 12 Quays port and ferry terminal in Birkenhead until the beginning of the 22nd Century.

The Swedish company has operated twice daily ferry services to Belfast since 2011 and this new deal will see them continue to operate there for at least another 77 years, until 2100.

The length of this deal demonstrates the success of the working partnership between the two companies, which now want to further strengthen their relationship together for the long term.

Significant investments have been made to meet current and future needs of their customers, providing them with the right opportunities for them to expand. This approach has proved to be successful with trade in Birkenhead growing continually over the past 12 years.

Stena Line operates 6 routes and 12 vessels across the region and Birkenhead has been a key focus for investment in recent years. In 2021 and 2022 Stena Line launched two new E-Flexer ferries on their Birkenhead to Belfast service, Stena Edda and Stena Embla. These brand-new state-of-the-art ferries increased passenger and freight capacity on the route to Belfast by a third.

Subsequently Stena Line has made further investments with the recent purchase of two sites adjacent to the 12 Quays Terminal, to provide additional freight storage for its freight customers as they continue to expand their businesses there.

Niclas Martensson, CEO of Stena Line, says: “After 12 successful years in 12 Quays our business in Birkenhead continues to flourish year-after-year. This deal is a sign of our long-term commitment to Birkenhead and Peel Ports, with whom we have a very strong partnership. We will continue to make significant investments to increase our services to our customers across the Irish Sea.”

Carl-Johan Hellner, Chief Operating Officer Ports & Terminals says “This deal signifies the strengthening of our partnership with Peel Ports. We have a long-term commitment to our Irish Sea customers, and together we will continue to provide value and to enable continued growth for their businesses here in Birkenhead and across this very important region for us.”

David Huck, Chief Operating Officer at Peel Ports Group says “We have built a highly successful partnership with Stena Line over the years for the developing of services across the Irish Sea, and we are delighted this long-term agreement reaffirms our commitment to enable further investment into Birkenhead and the Mersey cluster.”

The value of the deal has not been disclosed.