Stena Line are delighted to advise that the Stena Connecta will arrive in Belfast on Monday 19 January. She will then join her sister ship, Stena Futura, on the Belfast – Heysham route and enter service on the 20:30 sailing on Friday 23 January 2026.

The Stena Connecta is 147 metres long with an expansive 2,800 lane metres of freight capacity — designed to maximise every load. With both the Stena Futura and the Stena Connecta we have strengthened this key route with a 40% increase in freight capacity.

The vessels have been designed and purpose-built route with bespoke marine technology to operate on the strategically important Belfast – Heysham route on the Stena Line Irish Sea route network.

The Stena Connecta and the Stena Futura have a multi-hybrid propulsion system enabling the use of battery power, biofuel, and methanol and uniquely the Stena Connecta has two 28x4 metre Norsepower Rotor Sails™, designed to enhance energy efficiency.

Norsepower is the global market leader in mechanical sails for large ships, and the Norsepower Rotor Sail is a modernised, data-driven evolution of the Flettner rotor – a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus Effect to capture wind and deliver clean propulsion.

Alongside the aerodynamic hardware, each installation is supported by advanced digital control systems that optimise performance in real time, ensuring the sails operate at peak efficiency in every condition.

Stena Line