The historic crossing from Harwich to the Hook of Holland is today served by the 2010-built sisters Stena Britannica and Stena Hollandica, the biggest vessels in Stena Line’s near-40-ship fleet, offering day and night sailings in each direction from the Essex port to the Netherlands. The route fared better than many others during the Covid-19 pandemic from spring 2020, and remains the busiest continental connection from England’s East Coast ports. Indeed, in recent times £1 million has been spent on upgrading the two vessels to provide enhanced onboard passenger facilities.
Early development of the service was down to the Great Eastern Railway, which started carrying cargo and cattle from Harwich to Rotterdam in 1883, although after reaching Holland vessels could only navigate the Brielle Bar to enter the river Maas at high water. After using chartered vessels, the first passenger sailings, from 1864, were by the 613gt paddle steamers Avalon and Zealous, built on the Thames at the yard of J. & W. Dudgeon. Access to Rotterdam improved with the opening of the New Waterway in 1872, and the paddler Richard Young, built the previous year, became the first to use the link.
The GER had the 1,635gt twin-screw steamer built for the route in 1893 at Earle’s Yard in Hull. She launched the first night service, which enabled passengers to leave London
