Stena unveils roro concept design

Stena Line has unveiled a new concept roro vessel design. Dubbed the Stena Futuro, the vessel’s designers claim the ship can slash energy usage by at least 20%.

“The mission is to develop the most efficient and competitive vessel possible for a specific cargo capacity, using today’s available technology. The goal is for the vessel to have the lowest fuel consumption on the market,” said Nicolas Bathfield, project manager at Stena Teknik, who has been involved in developing the concept.

The sleek 240 m long vessel will have hybrid propulsion, batteries and engines with low fuel consumption that can run on several different fuels. Solar panels will also contribute to the ship’s electricity needs. The hull of Stena Futuro will also be equipped with an air lubrication system, where small air bubbles are released beneath the waterline to reduce friction between the vessel and the water. A waste heat recovery system will make it possible to reuse the hot exhaust gases from the ship’s engines to meet other onboard heating needs as well as supporting electric power generation.

The developed concept for Stena Futuro also includes four 40 m tall wing sails, which can be retracted when needed.

“We aim to help lead our industry in achieving the global climate goals. We work toward this every day in our ongoing operations, but we also need to be at the forefront in developing tomorrow’s vessels. The Stena Futuro concept is an important step in that direction,” said Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line.