Construction of Scadlines’ freight ferry ‘Futura’ at the Cemre shipyard is entering its final phase, following bottom cleaning and painting among other things in the floating dock, the vessel has headed back out to sea.
In addition to the painting work, the forward thruster was fitted during the docking, while the aft thruster, which has been in the water since the launching in November 2023, was cleaned and painted. The bottom and thrusters are painted with silicone paint to maximise energy efficiency.
During the dock stay, the bitts for the automatic mooring, which must fit exactly in the ferry berths, and the connection to the charging towers in the ports of Rødby, Denmark, and Puttgarden, Germany, were measured. The large 10MWh battery system onboard the ferry is designed to be able to charge in 12 minutes in both ports.
Rasmus Nielsen, Scandlines Naval Architect said: “These measurements must be very precise, as there is very little tolerance. That’s why we make them in the dock and not while the ship is moving at the quay.”
Futura is now back at the fitting-out quay, where all auxiliary systems will be tested, prior to sea trials, where SATs (Sea Acceptance Tests) can begin. All systems will be tested at full load under the supervision of the Danish Maritime Authority and Lloyd’s Register.
Nielsen said: “The SAT tests last one to two weeks, during which the ship is out sailing, with the possibility of changing crew morning and evening. This way, we can always have the craftsmen and technicians on board who are needed to make corrections and adjustments, instead of everyone being on board all the time.”
Once the SAT tests have been successfully completed and the ship has been delivered to Scandlines, Futura can begin the long journey home to Rødbyhavn in Denmark, with part of the future crew.
Scandlines COO Michael Guldmann Petersen said: “We are very much looking forward to putting our first emission-free ferry into operation on the Puttgarden-Rødby route. Futura is an investment in the future – for us as a ferry operator in general and, not least, as an important part of meeting our goal of zero emissions operation of the Puttgarden route route by 2030.”
The 147.4m ferry, with about 1200 lane metres freight capacity, is due to be officially named and deployed on the Fehmarn Belt route later in 2024.
Image: ‘Futura’ leaves the floating dock at the Cemre yard (credit: Scandlines)a
