PASSENGER ferry and ro-ro cargo vessel operator Stena Line is set to axe up to 80 shoreside jobs and 30 consultancy roles in the wake of an internal review, which found that staffing levels were “too big and expensive” given current revenue.

The European operator, a division of Swedish conglomerate Stena Group, is believed to employ some 6,000 people in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, Spain and Morocco.

It is not immediately known where the headcount reductions will fall, although most of the job losses are likely to be among support grades.

Communication of the redundancies is believed to have been provided by Stena Line's headquarters in Gothenburg. They were announced to UK-based staff by chief executive Paul Grant in an email to all employees on Monday, which set out plans to “future-proof the company”.

Stena Line argues that rising external competition and increasing cost pressure, together with the need for substantial future investment, made job losses unavoidable.

“Cost pressure due to higher inflation has led to our customers having less money to spend and with the introduction of the European Emission Trading Scheme increasing our prices, we see a decline in volumes for both travel and freight. This has led to increased pressure on our net margin.

“Moreover, the market growth we planned for in 2024 has not turned out as expected and our travel and onboard sales business suffered during the summer season.”

With profit levels “way behind target”, the company needs to become more “restrictive with recruitments”, said the email.

Grant promised consultations with trade unions, including the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association in the first instance.

TSSA general-secretary Maryam Eslamdoust has written to the company, expressing disappointment that the union was not given prior notice of the proposals and seeking an urgent meeting.

“Our members are shocked by this news and outraged that Stena has chosen to ignore the normal industrial relations processes,” Eslamdoust said.

“Stena must meet with us urgently to clarify who is at risk of redundancy and ensure we understand any potential impact on our members.”