Stena Line

Stena Line runs between Rostock and Trelleborg with two ships under the Swedish flag, the M/S Skåne and the M/S Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. By day the crossing takes six hours, at night 7.5 hours: the night ferry leaves late in the evening and arrives early in the morning, enough time for a night in the cabin. If you want to see both ferry companies side by side, the comparison is on the Ferry companies compared page.

The two ships

The M/S Skåne was built in 1998 at Astilleros Españoles in Spain and is registered in Trelleborg. She is 200 metres long and 29 metres wide, measures 28,960 gross tonnes and offers 3,295 lane metres on her vehicle decks. Four MAN B&W 8L48/60 engines give her a speed of 21 knots; she's certified for 600 passengers.

The M/S Mecklenburg-Vorpommern comes from the Schichau Seebeckswerft in Bremerhaven, built 1996/2003. At 200 metres she's just as long as the Skåne, at 28.2 metres a little narrower, but at 37,987 gross tonnes she's the larger of the two ships. Her four MAN B&W 6L48/60 engines produce a combined 25,200 kW, and she too sails at 21 knots. She carries 600 passengers and 440 cars and has 3,202 lane metres.

Departures

On a typical day, Stena Line leaves Rostock around 07:30 in the morning, in the afternoon and late in the evening; from Trelleborg the ships also leave in the morning, afternoon and late evening. Exact times shift with the day of the week and season, and which of the two ships is sailing is shown for each departure in the timetable.

The day crossings take six hours. With the morning departure you're in Sweden by early afternoon; with the night ferry, early in the morning, ready to continue to Malmö or Gothenburg.

On board

Both ships have a casual-dining restaurant, a shop and casino games. For the crossing without a cabin there are reclining seats and sleeping berths, partitioned single berths. Cabins range from standard through accessible to pet-friendly; on the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern there are also superior cabins with a double bed and TV. Both ships also have premium Wi-Fi.

Payment in the ports and on board is by card only: Visa, MasterCard, EC or Maestro. Stena Line doesn't accept cash, not even in the restaurant.

Check-in and terminals

With Stena Line, check-in closes 60 minutes before departure, for cars and for foot passengers alike. That also applies if you booked the crossing with TT-Line and you're travelling on the Skåne or the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In Rostock, Stena Line's Ferry Centre sits at the end of the A19 at Zum Fährterminal 1. It's open Monday to Saturday from 05:30 to 22:30 and Sunday from 08:15 to 22:00, and has a café, restaurant, cash machine, currency exchange and duty-free. You can't walk from the Ferry Centre to the ship: a terminal bus runs 30 minutes before departure.

In Trelleborg, cars head to the terminal at Norra Nyhamnsgatan 1A. Foot passengers and cyclists check in at Hamngatan 9, a few minutes from the station, and travel to the ship by shuttle bus. The route to both terminals is described on the Rostock ferry port and Trelleborg ferry port pages.

Dogs, vehicles and bicycles

Dogs and cats aren't allowed in the public areas on board with Stena Line, assistance dogs excepted. Your pet travels in a pet-friendly cabin or stays in the car; you register either option when booking. Stena Line requires a microchip and a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel. For Sweden you need the EU pet passport and must register the animal with Swedish Customs.

Vehicles are booked by length and height, including roof box and bike rack. A car counts as a normal car up to 2 metres in height. Motorhomes and caravans may be up to 12 metres long, 4 metres high and 2.6 metres wide. You may bring up to three gas bottles totalling 47 kilograms, with the valve closed for the whole crossing; reserve fuel is limited to 5 litres in an approved container. More on dimensions and gas: Motorhome & caravan.

Bicycles travel with Stena Line, one per person. With an e-bike, the battery stays on the bike on the vehicle deck. The process without a car is described on the Foot passengers & bicycles page.