Ferry operator Stena Line has reported record annual passenger and car volumes on its Harwich-Hook of Holland route.

The company’s Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannic super-ferries, which have operate the twice-daily six-hour service since 2010, carried 568,000 people during 2013, up 47,000 or 9% on the previous year.

Car volumes on the route meanwhile totalled 123,000, an increase of 13,000 or 11% compared with 2012.

Stena said the figures meant the route continued to outperform the industry as a whole, which saw a 2.6% increase in passengers and 1% growth in cars during 2013.

Passenger figures on the route grew steadily throughout the year with the final three month period from October to December seeing an increase of 9,000 or 8%, taking total for the quarter to 122,000.

The number of coaches carried on the route also rose sharply, with a 15% increase for 2013 as a whole and 38% growth during final three months of the year. This meant the company carried 116,000 coaches in total on the route during the year, 16,000 of them in the last quarter which is traditionally a much quieter time of year.

Lars Olsson, Stena Line’s general manager for travel on the North Sea, said: “We continue to see that the 2010 investment in our two new super-ferries is paying off and our quality on-board experience continues to help steal market share from no-frills airlines and the Channel Tunnel.

“Our customers appreciate the high standard of accommodation and excellent service we offer – it really does represent fantastic value for money. In addition, 2013 as a whole was a record breaking year for British tourism and there is no doubt we will have also benefitted from an increase in inbound traffic.”