Stena Line

Stena Line is a Swedish shipping company and one of the world's largest ferry operators, headquartered in Gothenburg. The company was founded in 1962 by Sten A. Olsson, when he acquired Skagenlinjen, running between Gothenburg and Frederikshavn in Denmark.

Stena Line carries more than 7.6 million passengers, 2.1 million cars and 2.3 million freight units a year. Its network covers connections between Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Morocco. The main routes are in the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Baltic Sea.

The fleet is among the most modern and environmentally friendly in the industry and includes numerous ships such as the Stena Britannica, Stena Hollandica, Stena Germanica, Stena Scandinavica, as well as the newer hybrid ferries Stena Edda and Stena Embla. In January 2026, the Stena Connecta, a new freight vessel for the Irish Sea, entered service on the Belfast-Heysham route. The Stena Futura is the first of the new hybrid ferries for the Irish Sea.

In the 1980s the company expanded through acquisitions such as Sessan Line in 1981 and Lion Ferry in 1985. In 2010, Stena Line took over DFDS Seaways' Northern Ireland operations, including the Belfast-Heysham and Belfast-Birkenhead routes. Onboard, cabins, restaurants and lounges are available. Cars, motorhomes and freight vehicles can be carried on all routes.