STENA LINE has reported a record year for freight volumes on its Belfast routes.
The ferry operator confirmed 2025 was “another record year" for freight volumes on its three Belfast services, with growth of one per cent increasing volumes to almost 600,000 freight units shipped from Belfast to Cairnryan, Liverpool (Birkenhead) and Heysham.
The records were set in the same year that Stena Line marked 30 years of operations from Belfast Harbour following its move there from Larne in 1995.
“Demand for freight services to and from Belfast has been increasing steadily in recent years with the Belfast-Liverpool (Birkenhead) route in particular growing in popularity as evidenced by a record freight units being shipped, over 270 000,” the firm explained.
Stena Line's Irish Sea North Trade Director Paul Grant“Stena Line’s Belfast to Heysham 2025 freight service also recorded its highest volumes in the last five years,” they added.
The company is expecting “further significant growth” on this route in the year ahead, with the introduction of its newly built Stena Connecta ship to the service on January 23.
“Stena Connecta will operate alongside sister ship Stena Futura which was launched onto the route in November 2025,” the firm confirmed.
“Both ships will provide an additional 40 per cent freight capacity when fully operational with a choice of 24 sailings per week.”
Paul Grant, Stena Line Irish Sea North Trade Director, said their 2025 results “underscore Belfast’s position as one of the most strategically important business hubs across the Stena Line network”.
“These routes provide vital infrastructure linking Northern Ireland and Great Britain,” he explained.
“Our Irish Sea business has been transformed over the last three decades through a combination of fleet and port investments along with the continued support of our customers.”
He added: “It was fitting that we were able to name and launch a new purpose-built ship, Stena Futura in Belfast Harbour in our record 2025 year, our 30th anniversary year in Belfast Harbour.
“Stena Line continues to have a positive outlook for its Belfast services which is why we are about to introduce a second purpose-built ship, Stena Connecta on our Belfast-Heysham service.”
See More: Belfast, Britain, Northern Ireland, Stena Line
