The construction of the E/V Futura at the Cemre shipyard is entering its final phase. 29 July 2024, the ship entered the floating dock to have the bottom cleaned and painted, among other things, and 10 August she headed out to sea again, according to Scandlines's release.
In addition to the painting work, the forward thruster was also 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 thrusters propel the ship through the water. The bottom and thrusters are painted with silicone paint so that the ship can glide energy- efficiently through the water. 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. As of September 2025, the large battery system of the ferry will be able to charge in just 12 minutes in both ports.
All systems must be tested before heading to Denmark E/V Futura is now back at the fitting-out quay, where she must be completely finished.
All auxiliary systems must be tested, and then she will go on a sea trial, where the so-called SAT (Sea Acceptance Tests) can begin. Here, all systems of the ship are tested at full load under the supervision of the Danish Maritime Authority and Lloyd's Register.
Once the SAT tests have been successfully completed and the ship has been delivered to Scandlines, E/V Futura can begin the long journey home to Rødbyhavn in Denmark, where part of the future crew is at the helm.
The ferry will be officially named at a ceremony in connection with its deployment on the Fehmarn Belt later in 2024.
Scandlines operates two ferry routes with high capacity and frequency. Six of its ferries are hybrid ferries, and two are furthermore fitted with an innovative rotor sail. With 39,000 departures on seven ferries, Scandlines in 2023 transported close to 6.4 million passengers, over 1.6 million cars and over 700,000 freight units on the routes Puttgarden- Rødby and Rostock-Gedser.