Stena Line holds batteries on the Gothenburg ferries until Arendal has a grid cable

Sjöfartstidningen published an interview on 9 October 2026 with Stena Line chief executive Niclas Mårtensson about the two E-Flexer 2.0 ferries ordered for Gothenburg–Frederikshavn. The ships are due in service in 2030 and are to replace Stena Danica and Stena Jutlandica.

Mårtensson said two identical ships would make the timetable more flexible. The company now adjusts the schedule to the differences between Stena Danica and Stena Jutlandica. The paper gives the new ships 1,500 passengers and 2,750 lane metres each. It gives Stena Danica 2,274 passengers and 1,640 lane metres, and Stena Jutlandica 1,500 passengers and 2,100 lane metres.

He said the ships are prepared to run the whole crossing on electricity, but Stena will not fill them with batteries now because the conditions are not there. Using that capacity needs a 1.4-kilometre cable at Arendal to connect the terminal to the main grid. He said the technology and the space on board are ready for full electrification, and that the next decision sits with government. He would not give the exact size of the investment.

The plan is to introduce the ships at Masthuggskajen, before the Denmark service moves to Arendal, where the new terminal is expected to be ready in 2031. In Frederikshavn the quay is to be strengthened and lengthened for the ships, which the paper describes as just over 214 metres long, and shore power is to be established. Mårtensson said more space is needed there for trucks and trailers.

He said the crossing time is not being fixed now, because the ships are not delivered until 2030. What happens to Stena Jutlandica is not decided. Stena Carisma will not be put on Gothenburg–Frederikshavn while the company is counting on the two new ships. The new ships' names are not decided, and manning is not settled. Mårtensson said he believes crewing may be similar to today, and that the company wants to keep showing it believes in the Swedish flag and Swedish manning.