Baltic ferry operator Scandlines’ aim is to operate ferries without direct emissions by 2040, the latest project being conversion of two out of four hybrid ferries on the Puttgarden-Rødby route to plug-in ferries, so that 80% of the energy required for a crossing will be derived from 5MWh batteries that are charged in the ports via a high-performance charging system.
For this project, Scandlines has received an innovation award from the German mobility industry body DVWG. Scandlines is thought to have impressed the jury with the planned conversion of the hybrid ferries Deutschland and Schleswig-Holstein into plug-in hybrid ferries – the charging stations in Puttgarden, Germany, and Rødby, Denmark, with their high output were rated as particularly innovative. The charging stations will make it possible to charge the ferries with 80% of the energy required for a crossing in 12 minutes. The conversion of the ferries will begin in 2025. The German Ministry of Transport has awarded the project financial support as part of a funding programme covering sustainable modernisation of coastal vessels to reduce emissions (NamKü).
Marko Möller, Scandlines Head of Business Administration and Special Projects said: “We are very proud and honoured that our project has been selected as the winner of the Innovation Award. This is a clear signal to our many colleagues and experts who are helping to make our fleet ever more sustainable with creative ideas and technical solutions: Their ideas are important and they deserve the award. Our goal is emission-free operation on the Puttgarden-Rødby route as early as 2030, and the project that has now been honoured is a major step towards achieving this goal.”
By 2030, Scandlines will have reduced the company’s total direct CO2 emissions by around 60% compared to 2008. The goal remains to cause no direct emissions within the company by 2040.
President of the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) Jörg-Andreas Krüger said: “Congratulations to ferry operator Scandlines on this award. It emphasises the company’s innovative performance, pioneering spirit and courage on its way to climate-friendly ferry operations. The ferries between Germany and Denmark are setting a global standard on the path to decarbonisation of ocean-going vessels and ferries in particular. We are proud to stand alongside Scandlines as a cooperation partner on their way to zero direct emissions operations.”
Almost 50 projects were submitted to DVWG in 2024. With the Innovation Award, the DVWG aims to recognise pioneering products and projects that have the potential to change the mobility landscape in the long term.
Image: Scandlines hybrid ferry ‘Schleswig-Holstein’ (source: Scandlines)
