This long-term agreement is an important part of our expansion in the Baltic Sea and the route between Ventspils in Latvia and Nynäshamn in Sweden. During 2021 two large modern RoPax vessels will start operating on the route increasing the freight capacity with 30 %.
We started operating the ferry route between Ventspils and Nynäshamn in 2012. Since then the operation has more than doubled from 1 vessel and 10 departures per week to 2 vessels and 24 departures per week. Recently we announced an expansion on the route with the deployment of two large modern RoPax vessels during 2021, increasing the freight capacity on the route with 30 %. The new vessels, Stena Scandica and Stena Baltica, will be fitted with sustainable features such as hybrid scrubbers and ballast water cleaning systems as well as several fuel efficiency improvements.
It is our expectation to increase the freight volumes going forward, and recently we moved the operation in Nynäshamn to the newly built modern roro-terminal at Stockholm Norvik Port.
The 20 year agreement includes joint investments in the terminal area to cater for current and future tonnage needs on Ventspils-Nynäshamn, the shortest ferry route between the Baltics and Sweden.
Ventpils offers a great geographical location, connecting Scandinavia with the Baltics, Russia and the CIS countries. This long term agreement is an important step in our continuous expansion in the Baltic Sea and enables us to continue to grow together with our customers and partners and our commitment to our Latvian routes.