Swedish ferry company Stena Line is investing £17 million to expand facilities at the 12 Quays terminal in Birkenhead, where their Liverpool operations are based.
In February 2024, the company launched a new Liverpool-Dublin freight-only service, which resulted in a significant increase in freight traffic through the port.
An additional 200 freight parking spaces have already been completed and have raised capacity for unaccompanied freight in the port by nearly 30 per cent.
Stena Line reported a record year in 2024 in Birkenhead, with more than 315,000 freight units moving through the port, an increase of 20 per cent from the previous year. The expansion aims to improve operational efficiency and customer experience by offering more space for drop-and-go trailers.
Stena Line said the next phase of the project will be a reconfiguration of the port’s entrance to ease congestion and improve vehicle flow.
Stena Line operates two routes from the 12 Quays terminal: the Liverpool-Dublin and Liverpool-Belfast services. The latter route carries both passengers and freight. The company said that the introduction of newbuild Ro-Pax ferries Stena Edda and Stena Embla, in 2021 and 2022 respectively, has doubled travel volumes.
The Stena Forwarder also operates a freight-only service with one round trip per day to Belfast, while the Bore Song runs a daily round trip to Dublin.