Representation by Stena Line (Stena Line)
- Date submitted
- 18 April 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Stena Line (“Stena”) is one of Europe’s leading Ro-Ro and ferry operators and is working closely with Associated British Ports with a view to being the operator of the Immingham Eastern Ro-Ro Terminal (“IERRT”). Stena currently operates two Ro-Ro services from the Humber Estuary to mainland Europe. These existing services are heavily utilised and, therefore, play a key role in meeting existing Ro-Ro freight demand on the Humber Estuary. Until very recently, Stena operated one of its existing services – a daily service between the Humber Estuary and the Europoort facility in Rotterdam – from one of the in-river berths at the CLdN Ports Killingholme facility. Due to CLdN’s termination of that arrangement with Stena, the Europoort service now runs, albeit currently on a more limited basis, from a temporary facility at the Port of Immingham. The replacement facility at Immingham is, however, very much a ‘stop gap’ solution to Stena’s operational needs by reason of marine access constraints in terms of the size of vessels able to access the Port’s Inner Harbour through the lock and the limited available landside storage space and infrastructure. Indeed, in order to maintain its ability to compete and in order to ensure that the Ro-Ro market on the Humber Estuary more broadly remains competitive, Stena requires a permanent facility for both of its services where we will have operational control in terms of the berthing of our vessels and in terms of the embarkation and disembarkation of ro-ro cargo, with necessary hinterland storage areas and facilities.