The 29,691gt/1996 built Stena Jutlandica (above) was involved in a collision at around 0245 on the morning of 19th July with a tanker off the island of Vinga, which is located ten nautical miles outside Gothenburg’s harbour entrance. The ferry sustained a hole in her portside several metres wide and was taking on water, however she managed to reach Gothenburg without any assistance or injuries.

There were 600 passengers aboard the ship but all were safe. Later inspections revealed extensive hull damage and the ship proceeded to Odense for repairs in dry dock, escorted by a Svitzer tug. In her absence the 13,294gt/1982 built Ask deputised. The cargo vessel involved was believed to be the 7,321gt/2008 built Danish product tanker Ternvind, which had departed from Gothenburg en-route to Halmstad laden with 12,000 tons of diesel.

Following repair, the Stena Jutlandica was back in service in early august. Stena Line and the Port of Rotterdam have teamed up to build a second berth at the Stena Line terminal at Europoort, as part of a €27 million investment. The move stems from continued growth in freight volumes between Rotterdam and the UK recorded in recent years as the economy recovers from the crash in 2008 and predictions for sustained future growth are positive.

The work to develop the new berth, with a length of 212m and 6.30m draught, commenced in the late summer and is expected to be completed in 2017. The current berth will then be renewed and both berths are planned to be operational by 1st January 2018.