Stena Line to Holland

Stena Line’s history with Holland stretches back to 1988. The Harwich to Hook of Holland route was historically owned by the Dutch Royal Family; Stena Line bought the SMZ Crown Line Holland and incorporated it into Stena Line's route to Holland in 1988.

In 1990, Stena Line's acquisition of Sealink British Ferries meant that the company doubled in size, which in turn heralded major changes in the European market. As the world’s largest shipping company Stena Line also acquired a few Dutch shipping companies to offer a more efficient sailing service between England, the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.

Over the years Stena Line's profile gradually evolved – becoming Sealink Stena Line, then Stena Sealink Link before re-branding as Stena Line (UK). In 1997 the Stena HSS Discovery was launched, making Stena Line's Harwich to Hook of Holland as the fastest and most direct route to Holland from Britain. Travel to the UK port was also upgraded with improvements to the railway service which was initially opened in 1893, the railway still departs from London Liverpool Street same as it did in 1893 with modern trains, new and improved lines to the port.

The ships have also greatly evolved and are continuously being worked on for greener travel and as part of the Stena Line sustainability project. We have moved on from the days of the HSS and the Stena Discovery to our superferries the Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica.