“We are very excited to welcome the Ala’suinu to our service,” says Gary O’Brien, Chair, Board of Directors, Marine Atlantic.” With a focus on reducing our environmental impact, the latest accessibility features, state-of-the-art technologies, and enhanced customer amenities, I am confident our customers will be impressed with the newest addition to our fleet. I would like to thank the Government of Canada for their investment making it possible to add the Ala’suinu to our fleet.”

“I would like to thank our partner, Stena RoRo, for their dedication and commitment to ensuring the delivery of the Ala’suinu,” says Murray Hupman, President and CEO, Marine Atlantic. “Our charter period has now begun, and we will have the option to purchase the vessel after the period. We are excited for the enhancements this vessel will offer our customers and I look forward to its arrival in April”, says Murray Hupman, President and CEO, Marine Atlantic.

The E-Flexer series is based on a concept with larger vessels than today’s standard RoPax ferries, and is very flexible. Each ship is tailored to the customers’ needs, both commercially and technically. Optimized design of the hull, propellers and rudders help to ensure that the E-Flexer vessels are at the forefront when it comes to sustainability, performance and cost.

The vessels’ engines are of the multi-fuel type and can run on LNG, conventional marine fuel (MGO) or biodiesel. The vessels have been designed in line with future environmental requirements and, through their technical design, can meet both existing and future international requirements by a wide margin. The vessels will be designed with the classification society notation “Battery power” which means that in the future the vessels will also be able to utilize batteries as a means of propulsion.

“These vessels are a further development of our previous RoPax concepts, where the focus on sustainability and future-proofing has been a top priority,” says Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo. “In this vessel, another dimension of sustainability has been added as the vessel has been designed to make a minimum of noise in the surrounding sea for the benefit of the sensitive underwater fauna of Canada’s coasts. Multi-fuel engines and battery hybrid technology further contribute to minimizing Marine Atlantic’s environmental impact.”

Stena RoRo currently has 13 confirmed orders for E-Flexer vessels, as well as two so-called “New Max” RoRo vessels, at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard. A total of five vessels will now be under construction at the shipyard at the same time. With the latest delivery ten ships have now been delivered.