In recent years, ferry operator Scandlines has continuously developed its fleet in order to reduce CO 2 emissions, according to the company's release. The aim is to operate ferries without direct emissions by 2040.
The latest project is the conversion of two out of four hybrid ferries on the Puttgarden-Rødby route to plug-in ferries, so that 80 per cent of the energy required for a crossing will be derived from batteries that are charged with electricity in the ports via a high- performance charging system.
For this project, Scandlines received an innovation award from the German mobility industry DVWG 05 November. Scandlines 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 per cent of the energy required for a crossing in just 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).
By 2030, Scandlines will have reduced the company's total direct CO 2 emissions by around 60 per cent compared to 2008. The goal remains to cause no direct emissions within the company by 2040.
This year, almost 50 projects were submitted to the German Transport Research Association (DVWG). 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. The Innovation Award was presented for the fourth time this year, and as the quality of the projects submitted was consistently high, the jury decided to nominate four finalists this year instead of three.
Scandlines is a modern and innovative ferry operator. Scandlines operates two ferry routes with high capacity and frequency. With more than 39,000 departures on seven ferries, Scandlines in 2023 transported over 6.4 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and around more than 700,000 freight units on the routes Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser.