Stena lines increases presence in ventspils

Stena Line ferry

Stena Line has acquired operations of the ferry and RoRo terminals in the Port of Ventspils, Latvia. The acquisition in Latvia is the latest among several moves to support Stena Line’s long-term expansion in the growing Baltic Sea region. Stena Line has operated the route between Ventspils and Nynäshamn, Sweden since 2012 and company's announcement is a proof point of Stena Line’s long-term commitment to Ventspils – one of Stena Line’s strategic sites in the Baltic Sea.

Direct ownership of the operations in Ventspils will give Stena Line the initiative in future expansion opportunities as Latvia continues to grow its importance as a maritime nation with increasing trade volumes.

“The Baltic Sea is a major growth region for Stena Line and our investment in Ventspils shows how committed we are to develop our business with Latvia”, says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line. He continues: “With this strategic move we have secured a long-term position in an essential part in our European network and I am looking forward to working with our customers and partners to continue expanding in the region”.

The growing customer demand on the route connecting Latvia and Sweden recently called for a capacity boost through two ferries – Stena Baltica and Stena Scandica. These extended ferries added 30 per cent of freight capacity on the route as well as offering a new modern onboard experience for a maximum of 970 passengers in each vessel.

The acquisition of the ferry and RoRo port operations is subject to authority approval for competition compliance. 

Stena Line is one of Europe’s leading ferry companies with 39 vessels and 18 routes in Northern Europe operating 27,000 sailings each year. Stena Line is an important part of the European logistics network and develops new intermodal freight solutions by combining transport by rail, road and sea. Stena Line also plays an important role for tourism in Europe with its extensive passenger operations. The company is family-owned, was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Gothenburg. Stena Line has 5,900 employees and a turnover of 17.6billion SEK.