The first of the world’s two largest Superferries, the Stena Hollandica, made its maiden voyage across the North Sea between Harwich and the Hook of Holland on May 16th 2010.

Stena Line’s largest ever investment of over £375 million has been spent on building the two new vessels, with the Stena Britannica set to follow Sunday’s launch this autumn.

The largest ferries of their type in the world in terms of combined passenger and freight capacity, each is capable of transporting 230 cars, 300 freight vehicles and have 1,376 beds on board.

They are 240 metres in length, so if a Superferry stood on its end it would be 2.4 times as tall as Big Ben (98 metres), or nearly twice as high as The London Eye (135 metres)!

Customers will be able to enjoy onboard services including buffet and a la carte restaurants, cinema, bar, lounge, media room and internet corner with free wi-fi throughout. The 538 cabins will be equipped with Dux beds, wider than on standard ferries, measuring a minimum width of 90cm and up to 160cm in ‘Captain’s Suite’ rooms.

Below is a video that was taken on board during the first crossing:

Designed to have a low environmental impact, each Superferry is built in line with Stena Line’s Energy Savings Programme. Eco-friendly features on the new Superferries include catalytic converters, an improved hull design, highly efficient engines and better combustion rates, all helping to reduce environmental impact.

The ferries have facilities to recycle glass, cardboard and food waste onboard, while solar film on all windows will exclude up to 82 per cent of the sun’s radiant heat, reducing the energy used by the onboard cooling system.

Departing twice daily, the crossing takes approximately 6.5 hours with a choice of day or night sailings in each direction. Departures from Harwich leave at 09:00 and around 23:45 each day, and at 14:30 and around 22:00 from the Hook of Holland.

Lead-in fares start at £49 one-way for a car and driver, plus £12 per additional adult or £6 per additional child (up to 15 yrs, under twos travel free). Cabins for overnight crossings start from £18 per person one-way, based on two sharing.

Travelbite.co.uk staff

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