In February we increased capacity on routes from Rotterdam to the United Kingdom by replacing our two existing RoRo vessels with larger ships, thereby taking the next step in the strategic development of the Rotterdam (Europoort) freight transport hub to the United Kingdom. We will consequently increase the total capacity from Europoort by approximately 25%.
We are very pleased to announce that we have entered into long-term contracts with Alternative Transport for the chartering of MV Hatche and MV Qezban, two 3,700-lanemetre RoRo vessels that will replace MV Misida and MV Misana. This will enable us to continue growing our operation while providing a reliable service with higher availability, thereby taking the next step in developing our Rotterdam freight hub.
The ships entered service on the Rotterdam-Killingholme route in February. Stena Forerunner has been redeployed to the Rotterdam-Harwich route, replacing MV Misana to sail alongside MV Somerset.