Stena launches new ferry route in Asia

Stena International Freight, a company within the Stena Group, will start up its first ferry route in Asia on the 19 March. The route will operate between the South Korean city of Sokcho and the Russian ports in Zarubino and Vladivostok and will initially be serviced by one ship.

Hans Nilsson, CEO of Stena International Freight, said: “Our ambition is to expand into Asia and the new route is a very important step in this plan. There is strong demand for a high quality route with freight and passenger transports between Korea and Russia.”

The route will be operated by the RoPax ferry M/V New Blue Ocean, which can carry 1,400 metre of trucks, trailers and containers as well as 750 passengers. The ferry will make two scheduled trips a week between Sokcho and Zarubino as well as one trip between Sokcho and Vladivostok.

“The region around Zarubino andVladivostok is developing into a transport hub for traffic to both Russia and China. In addition, there will be direct access to the Trans-Siberian Railway making journeys all the way from Korea, via Russia, to Europe easier. At the same time, the route also provides direct access to the Korean market,” Hans Nilsson added.

The business model that will be applied in Asia resembles the one Stena Line uses in Europe and the Baltics, with a combination of both freight and passenger traffic.

“Even on the passenger side there is demand for travel between Korea and China with the strategically important port of Zarubino. We estimate we will have about 100,000 passengers a year,” Hans Nilsson said.

The new service will be operated under the name Stena Daea Line which is 90 per cent owned by Stena Line and 10 per cent by Daea. Approximately 30 people will be employed in the joint company, which will be based in Sokcho and Seoul, South Korea.