A new era begins on the Kiel-Gothenburg route

06.09.2010 (16:43)

A new era has begun at Kiel’s Schwedenkai cruise and ferry terminal. From today, the ferry “Stena Germanica III” replaces her predecessor on the route between Kiel and Gothenburg.

At an on-board reception, Kiel’s Lord Mayor Torsten Albig welcomed the ship and her crew to the port city and handed over the traditional first-call placard to Captain Wiggo Lander. “The ships of the Stena Line have been Kiel landmarks for more than four decades”, Torsten Albig said, “and the introduction of the new “Stena Germanica III” will make the friendly ties between Kiel and Gothenburg even stronger”. The new 240 m long ship is the longest RoPax ferry in the Baltic and, at 4,200 lane metres, is also the biggest ferry ever to call at the Port of Kiel.

To prepare for the advent of the new Stena Line ship generation, more than 30 million Euros have been invested in expanded operational areas and in the construction of a new, modern terminal building. Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG) said “the new Schwedenkai is among the most efficient terminal facilities in the Baltic for the handling of big RoPax ships. We are proud to make this terminal available to the Stena Line”. Particularly impressive, apart from the terminal building itself with its first-class handling facilities for passengers and cargo, is the way in which terminal logistics have been optimised. A new RoRo ramp, new handling equipment and the introduction of port telematics will contribute to fast and safe ship loading and unloading.

To date, some 40,000 consignments have been handled every year at Schwedenkai. That figure will more than double in future. Commented Dirk Claus: “the introduction of the “Stena Germanica III” will mean a quantum leap in cargo handling in Kiel”. To ensure the trouble-free turnaround of ships, the handling firms of the SEEHAFEN KIEL alone have taken on ten extra employees. In addition, Schwedenkai has resumed intermodal rail business to handle a considerable part of the port’s hinterland traffic. From Kiel, destinations on the German intermodal transport network will be reached over-night. In the terminal building, a generously large handling area is available to passengers and linked directly to the ship via a gangway.

Stena Line has linked Kiel with Gothenburg since 1967 and, in this time, has transported more than 22 million passengers, three million cars and over a million trucks. Early next year also the “Stena Scandinavica” will be replaced by another big modern RoPax ferry, completing the ship generation swap on the Kiel-Gothenburg route.

The SEEHAFEN KIEL operates Kiel’s commercial port on behalf of the federal state capital of Kiel, of which it is a 100% subsidiary. The terminals located in the city and the Ostuferhafen handle more than 5 million tons of cargo a year. Two million passengers board or leave a ship. The new 12-storey terminal building at Schwedenkai on the Kiel fiord has already become a city landmark and is now also home to the administrative personnel of the SEEHAFEN KIEL as well those of Stena Line in Germany.

www.port-of-Kiel.com