Stena Line Holland BV

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Stena Line Holland BV is a subsidiary of Stena Line that operates ferry routes between Harwich and Killingholme on the east coast of England and Hook of Holland and Europort in the Netherlands. The head office is in Hook of Holland in the Netherlands. Apart from during the two world wars there has been a continuous service operating between these two countries, initially by the railway companies serving the east coast of England together with Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland a Dutch ferry company. In 1990 Stena Line had purchased both parts and Stena Line Holland BV came into being.

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Hook of Holland – Harwich

A passenger service has operated from Harwich to Hook of Holland since the late 19th century apart from a break during the Second World War. Until 1990, the route was operated by two companies: one British and the other Dutch; but since then, Stena Line BV has been operating this route.

History of the route

In the late 19th century, the Great Eastern Railway (GER), wishing to compete with its rivals who were operating from the Kent coast to France and Belgium, obtained the rights to provide a cargo and cattle service to Rotterdam. After first using chartered tonnage they carried passengers with the paddle steamer Zealous 613 gt, built in 1864 on the Thames by J & W Dudgeon. Dudgeon also supplied the 1865 built Avalon, 670 gt, which was powered by a two-cylinder oscillating engine that gave a speed of 14 knots. [1]

When the service first started, ships bound for Rotterdam had to negotiate the Brielle Bar to enter the river Maas with access possible only at high water. Things improved in 1872 with the opening of the New Waterway which by-passed the Brielle Bar. The Great Eastern paddle steamer, Richard Young, was the first seagoing vessel to use the direct link to the city. [1]

In 1883, the Great Eastern Railway moved its English base from Harwich town to Parkeston Quay and in 1893 moved its Dutch operations from Rotterdam to the new rail terminus at the Hook of Holland. The first vessel to call at the "Hook" was the steamer Cambridge built in 1886 of 1,194 gt. [1]

In 1893, the GER built the twin-screw Chelmsford to open a new night service. The new terminal in the Hook was situated on the north western end of the New Waterway and this saved two hours on the passage to Rotterdam itself. The new route enabled passengers to leave London in the evening and, after arrival in the Hook before 6 am, be in Amsterdam at breakfast time and reach Berlin by the end of the day. [2]

The service quickly became popular, and GER used three ships to offer night sailings each way, every day except Saturday. By 1904, the GER had ceased operations to Rotterdam. The Dutch had their own services from Flushing, which was operated by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ) which was created in 1875, which ran firstly to Queenborough near Sheerness and then to Folkestone. [3]

On 1 January 1923 after the enforced re-grouping of the railway companies, the route came under the control of the London and North Eastern Railway.

In 1926, SMZ moved its English port to Harwich providing day sailings but did not start using the Hook of Holland until after the Second World War. After both World Wars, the Hook became a major port for troop movements, these operations continuing until 1961. [3]

Post Second World War vessels on this route included the John Brown built Arnhem (1946). On 1 January 1948, after the nationalising of the British railway network, the route came under the control of British Railways. In 1950, the Amsterdam, also built by John Brown, came into service; in 1963, the elegant Avalon was built for this route. SMZ added the motor ship the Koningin Wilhelmina in 1960.

In 1968, the two Ro-Ro passenger vessels (the British-owned St George and the Dutch-owned Koningin Juliana) came into service, the St George in July and the Koningin Juliana in October. This fully integrated service was operated from November 1968 under the Sealink banner with each ship leaving port by day and returning overnight. [3]

In 1984, Sealink was bought by Sea Containers who continued to operate the British operations under the Sealink name. In 1989, SMZ was acquired by Stena Line and in 1990 Stena bought Sealink, thus for the first time, the Dutch and British operations were under the same ownership.

Operation under Stena BV

In 1990, when Stena Line took control of the route, the Harwich to Hook of Holland service was being operated with two passenger and one freight Ro-Ro vessels. This continued until 2 June 1997, when with the introduction of the high speed ferry Stena Discovery, the two conventional ferries were taken off the route and an additional freight ferry was introduced.

Since 1996, Stena Line, in conjunction with Anglia Railways and its successors (currently Abellio Greater Anglia) in the United Kingdom and Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the Netherlands Railways, has been operating the integrated Dutchflyer service (named Go-London in the Netherlands), a rail/sea link between London and Amsterdam.

In June 2006, Stena Line announced that the high-speed catamaran ferry, [4] would be withdrawn from service on 8 January 2007. It had been carrying the majority of the passenger traffic on the Hook of HollandHarwich route. This service was halted due to the excessive cost of operating the ship and competition from the budget airlines. [5] The ferry consumed 180,000 litres of high grade fuel daily whilst doing its four crossings at speeds of up to 45 knots, about 75 kilometres per hour.

After the Stena Discovery was removed from service on the Hook of Holland – Harwich route, she was laid up in Belfast. In 2010 she was sold to Venezuelan interests.

To replace the Stena Discovery, Stena Line invested 100 million euro in rebuilding the existing ferries of the route. The Ro-Pax vessels [6] [7] were both lengthened and converted at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven so that they could carry additional passengers. Both ships are now 240 metres long, the Stena Britannica being lengthened by 28 metres and the Stena Hollandica by 52 metres. The Stena Britannica returned to service on 12 March 2007 and the Stena Hollandica on 14 May 2007.

In November 2006, Stena Line ordered two new vessels to be built at Aker Yards (now STX Europe) in Germany, to replace the Stena Britannica and Stena Hollandica. These vessels, which are now in service, are the biggest in Stena Line's fleet so far. [8] They were delivered in May and October 2010.

Ships that have operated between Harwich and Rotterdam or Hook of Holland

Ships of the Great Eastern Railway

[9]

Ship's
name
Entered
service
Ended
service
Gross
Tonnage
Type of
Vessel
Avalon 13 June 18641866613Paddle steamer
Zealous 1 August 18641887613Paddle steamer
Harwich 1864October 1907750Paddle steamer
Rotterdam18641908757Paddle steamer
Avalon1865Before 1906670Paddle steamer
Ravensbury1865Wrecked
5 March 1870
621Paddle steamer
Great Yarmouth 18661872731Single Screw
Steamer
Richard Young March 18711890718Paddle Steamer
Pacific18721887712Paddle Steamer
Claud Hamilton 14 August 18751897962Paddle Steamer
Princess of Wales 6 July 187818941098Paddle Steamer
Lady Tyler 29 May 18801893951Paddle Steamer
Adelaide 23 July 18801896927Paddle Steamer
Norwich 24 July 188319111037Twin Screw Steamer
Ipswich 23 October 188319051037Twin Screw Steamer
Cambridge 12 February 188725 November 19121160Twin Screw Steamer
Colchester 27 February 18898 March 19161160Twin Screw Steamer
Chelmsford 31 May 1893June 19101635Twin Screw Steamer
Berlin 10 January 1894Wrecked
21 February 1907
1745Twin Screw Steamer
Amsterdam 9 May 1894December 19281745Twin Screw Steamer
Vienna 11 October 189423 March 19301753Twin Screw Steamer
Dresden 29 June 189720 January 1918
Sunk by UC 22
1805Twin Screw Steamer
Cromer 22 April 190230 August 1934812Twin Screw
Cargo Steamer
Brussels 19 June 190223 June 1916
Captured
1380Twin Screw Steamer
Yarmouth 190327 October 1908
Lost at sea
806Twin Screw
Cargo Steamer
Clacton7 February 19057 October 1914
Requisitioned
820Twin Screw
Cargo Steamer
NewmarketAugust 19078 October 1914
Requisitioned
833Twin Screw
Cargo Steamer
Copenhagen 27 January 1907October 1914
Requisitioned
2570Triple Screw
Steamer
Munich 16 November 190810 May 1940
Ship Scuttled
2410Triple Screw
Steamer
St Petersburg 7 July 191010 December 1939
Requisitioned
2448Triple Screw
Steamer
FelixstoweApril 191910 February 1951892Single Screw
Cargo Steamer
Frinton 6 November 191919 July 19291361Single Screw Steamer
St GeorgeJune 191916 July 19292676Triple Screw
Steamer
Antwerp June 19201 May 19502957Twin Screw Steamer
Bruges 27 September 19209 September 1940
Requisitioned
2949Twin Screw Steamer
Malines 17 March 192110 May 19402969Twin Screw Steamer

Ships of the London and North Eastern Railway and British Railways

[10] [11]

Ship's nameDate entered serviceDate withdrawnTonnageType of Ship
Sheringham15 September 1926June 19401088Single Screw Steamer
23 March 194625 October 1958
Vienna 15 July 192924 August 19394227Twin Screw Steamer
1 August 19452 July 1960
Prague 19301 September 19394220Twin Screw Steamer
14 November 194524 December 1947
Amsterdam 19301 September 19394218Twin Screw Steamer
Arnhem 26 May 194727 April 19684891Twin Screw Steamer
Duke of York31 May 194819 July 19634325Twin Screw Steamer
Amsterdam [ permanent dead link ]10 June 19507 November 19685092Twin Screw Steamer
Avalon 25 July 196331 August 19746584Twin Screw Steamer
Seafreightliner I17 May 196830 July 19864043Twin Screw Motor
Container Ship
Seafreightliner II24 June 19681 August 19864034Twin Screw Motor
Container Ship
St George 17 July 19685 June 19837356Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
St Edmund 19 January 197512 May 19828987Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Prins Oberon 12 March 198310 June 19837993Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
St Nicholas 10 June 198319 June 199117043Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship

Ships operated by Zeeland Steamship Company (SMZ)

[12] [13]

Ship's nameDate entered serviceDate withdrawnTonnageType of Ship
Oranje Nassau27 August 1945July 19543053Twin Screw Steamer
Mecklenburg21 November 194525 October 19592907Twin Screw Steamer
Koningin Emma 5 March 1948December 19684353Twin Screw Motorship
Prinses Beatrix 31 May 1948September 19684353Twin Screw Motorship
Koningin Wilhelmina 7 February 19601 July 19786228Twin Screw Motorship
Koningin Juliana 17 October 19688 April 19846682Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Prinses Beatrix 29 June 1978May 19869356Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Prins Oberon 11 February 198311 March 19837993Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Zeeland 1 April 198425 March 19866801Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Armorique 25 March 198616 April 19865731Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Koningin Beatrix 16 April 19862 June 199731189Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship
Duchess Anne January 1989February 19899796Twin Screw Ro-Ro Motorship

Ships operated by Stena Line BV

[12]

Ship's nameDate entered serviceDate withdrawnTonnageRemarks
Stena Britannica 19 June 19913 March 199425,905Now named Stena Saga
Stena Seatrader 2 May 1990March 200117,991Sold to Ventouris Ferries, renamed Seatrader
Stena Europe 4 March 19941 June 199714,378Now on the Fishguard to Rosslare route
Stena Searider 2 May 1997October 200021,019
Stena Discovery 2 June 19978 January 200719,638Sold to Venezuelan interests
Rosebay 8 June 19983 October 20005,631Now named Translandia for Eckero Line
Stena Britannica 12 October 200025 February 200329,841Now named Finnfellow
Stena Hollandica 9 March 20018 May 201029,841Vessel lengthened in 2007. New tonnage 44,237
Stena Britannica 25 February 20038 October 201043,487Vessel lengthened in 2007. New tonnage 55,050
Stena Hollandica 16 May 2010Still in service64,039
Stena Britannica 9 October 2010Still in service64,039

Hook of Holland – Killingholme

[14] This route was inaugurated on 8 October 2000 using two old freight RoRo ferries, the Stena Searider , built in 1969, and the Stena Seatrader , built in 1973. The success of this route encouraged a further 200 million euro investment in two replacement ferries for this service. The first vessel, the Stena Trader replaced the Stena Seatrader and commenced operating on 12 August 2006 and the second vessel, the Stena Traveller went into service on 20 June 2007 replacing the Stena Searider.
On 21 May 2010 it was announced that the Stena Trader and Stena Traveller would leave on a five-year charter to the Canadian company, Marine Atlantic, to sail between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Two larger vessels, the Stena Transporter and Stena Transit had already been ordered from Samsung in South Korea as replacements, but would not be ready until 2011. To cover the gap two vessels, the Finnarrow and the Coraggio, were chartered. The first of the new vessels, the Stena Transporter, took over from the Finnarrow on 1 March 2011. The second vessel, the Stena Transit, is due in October 2011.

Vessels that have operated on the Hook of Holland to Killingholme route

Ship's nameDate entered serviceDate withdrawnTonnageRemarks
Rosebay 8 October 20009 March 20015631
Stena Searider 8 October 200018 June 200720914
Stena Seatrader 14 March 200111 August 200617991
Stena Trader 12 August 200630 September 201026660
Stena Traveller 20 June 20079 December 201026660
Corragio [ permanent dead link ]30 September 20106 November 201124950
Finnarrow [ permanent dead link ]9 December 201028 February 201125996
Stena Transporter 1 March 2011Still in service33690
Stena Transit 7 November 2011Still in service33690

Rotterdam (Europoort) – Harwich

This route is descended from the Felixstowe to Europort route that was operated by Townsend Thoresen. In 1987 Townsend Thoresen were taken over by P&O Ferries who in turn sold the route in 2002 to Stena who then moved the British end of the operation to Harwich.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Ships Monthly, July 2008. Page 46
  2. Ships Monthly, July 2008. Page 47
  3. 1 2 3 Ships Monthly, July 2008. Page 48
  4. Stena Discovery
  5. Sunday Mirror Fast ferry axed
  6. "Stena Britannica". Archived from the original on 9 December 2012.
  7. "Stena Hollandica". Archived from the original on 20 December 2012.
  8. Aker Yards To build the world's largest ferries for Stena
  9. Harwich Hook of Holland 1893–2010. Published by Ferry Publications, PO Box 33, Ramsey, Isle of Man, IM99 4LP.
  10. Feeder Lines, pt 1 Archived 31 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Harwich Hook of Holland 1893–2010. Published by Ferry Publications, PO Box 33, Ramsey, Isle of Man, IM99 4LP
  12. 1 2 "Välkommen till Fakta om Fartyg". Archived from the original on 2 August 2012.
  13. Harwich Hook of Holland 1893 to 2010. Published by Ferry Publications, PO Box 33, Ramsey, Isle of Man, IM99 4LP
  14. Harwich Hook of Holland 1893–2010. Published by Ferry Publications, PO Box 33, Ramsey, Isle of Man, IM99 4LP