Scandlines News

Scandlines has put its new ferry, The Baltic Whale, into service on the Rødby-Puttgarden route from Denmark to Germany.The ferry marks an important step towards the company’s long-term goal of sailing without direct emissions by 2040 and strengthening capacity for freight customers. The Baltic Whale is among the world’s largest ferries that can operate solely on shore-based electricity.The Baltic Whale has one of the world's largest battery systems on board a ferry and can operate without direct emissions during normal operation.

Scandlines is taking another step in its long-term strategy to protect the Baltic region and the Fehmarn Belt, which the ferries cross daily.With a total investment of more than EUR 31 million ($35 million), the company is converting two of the ferries operating the Puttgarden-Rødby route to plug-in hybrid ferries.The aim is to reduce CO₂e emissions by up to 80% and promote ferry operations based on power from renewable energy sources.On average, the batteries in the ferries will…

Scandlines has announced its financial results for the year ending December 31, 2024, delivering steady revenue, improved efficiency, and continued investment.In a year characterized by macroeconomic challenges across key markets, Scandlines maintained revenue at EUR 465 million ($516 million) and improved its result before tax to EUR 125 million. Traffic volumes remained robust, with 6.4 million passengers and a record-breaking 2.7 million passengers during the summer season…

In its sustainability report, Scandlines committed to ferry operations with zero direct emissions by 2040.In support of this, the ferry company has signed an MoU with Caterpillar Motoren to explore the possibilities of converting the current MaK diesel of the Rostock-Gedser hybrid ferries to run on e-methanol. The use of e-methanol produced from renewable energy sources can reduce CO2 emissions by 95% under ideal circumstances.Scandlines already combines three technologies on the Rostock-Gedser route: traditional diesel operation, battery operation and wind power.

Eric Grégoire has taken up the position of CEO at Scandlines effective from July 8.The executive management team now consists of CEO Eric Grégoire, COO Michael Guldmann Jensen and CFO Mikael Koch.Grégoire comes from a position as CEO of Goodpack in Singapore. He is an experienced business leader with a solid track record in business process improvements from several international companies such as General Electric and DuPont.“It is a pleasure to welcome Eric Grégoire to Scandlines.

Technology group Wärtsilä has secured a contract to supply the electrical systems needed to convert two Scandlines ferries to a plug-in hybrid solution.The ferries operate on the Puttgarden, Germany – Rödby, Denmark route, and the conversion represents a key element in Scandlines’ target to achieve emission-free operations on the route by 2030.The two Scandlines Ro-Ro ferries selected for conversion to plug-in hybrid operation are the 142 metres-long ‘Deutschland’ and ‘Schleswig-Holstein’.The project involves replacing an engine and existing systems with a new shore-charged electrical system…

Last year there was a 0.5% increase in the overall number of passengers on ferry routes within and abroad from Denmark, reports the Danish Shipowners organization, Danske Rederier. The growth was particularly high on foreign routes (1.9%), including to Germany and Sweden. In contrast, there were 1.8% fewer passengers on domestic routes than the year before.Also in 2023, more cruise passengers disembarked in Denmark than ever before."2023 was a really good year for our ferries in relation to the number of passengers. We haven't had a better high season in the past several years.

Ferry operator Scandlines announced changes to its executive management team, hiring Eric Gregoire and Mikael Koch Jensen to join the company as CEO and CFO respectively.Gregoire will start in July 2024 and comes from a position as CEO of Goodpack Pte Ltd. in Singapore. He has previously held positions at several international companies such as General Electric and DuPont.“Scandlines is strongly positioned for the future as an innovative and competitive provider of maritime transport between Germany and Denmark.

Scandlines has contracted Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) to deliver an onshore charging system to the ferry operator’s berth in Puttgarden, Germany.NES will deliver the system and connect the equipment to the power grid of the regional grid operator, Schleswig-Holstein Netz. The required components onshore include a 30MVA grid transformer, medium and low voltage transformers, and switchboards, in addition to control system and data collection system. NES will also deliver additional equipment to the ferry.Scandlines’ new zero direct emissions ferry…

Scandlines’ new zero direct emissions freight ferry has been launched at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey.The ferry will be name Futura and deployed on the Fehmarn Belt between Germany and Denmark (Puttgarden-Rødby) in 2024. It will have a 10MWh energy storage system, the world's largest lithium-ion battery bank to date, which has been supplied by Swiss manufacturer, Leclanché.The 8.6 meter high ferry charger tower, developed by the German company, StemmannTechnik, is being prepared for installation at ferry berth 3 in Denmark’s Rødbyhavn.

Ask the right government department in any G7 state and you’ll find funding to put battery power for your vessel. Beyond funds, new battery makers and system integrators are ironing out safety issues, and a growing number of giga-sized cell factories offer hope that costs will fall for marine energy storage, as ESS choice grows. Efforts are also underway to recycle rare earth elements and to augment or greenify staggeringly high plant electricity inputs. Apart from funding, the drivers of change include constraints on shipping in Emissions Free Areas like the fjords of Norway…

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it would supply a complete propulsion and control system package for a forthcoming Scandlines zero-emissions ferry which, when built, is destined to be the world’s largest all-electric double-ended ferry. The ferry has been designed by LMG Marin AS in Norway and will be constructed at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, in cooperation with Scandline’s vessel-newbuild experts. The freight ferry is expected to enter service in 2024. The new 147.4 meters…

Denmark-headquartered Scandlines said it has entered into a contract with Turkey's Cemre Shipyard to build an emissions-free freight ferry for the Puttgarden-Rødby route. The ferry will enter service in 2024.With a crossing time of one hour, the ferry is emissions free. It can also be operated as a hybrid ferry like the current passenger ferries on the Scandlines routes between Germany and Denmark. As a hybrid ferry, the crossing time is 45 minutes.Initially, the ferry will exclusively charge in Rødby.

Denmark-headquartered ferry operator Scandlines has opted to install a rotor sail on board a second vessel in its fleet after equipping the hybrid ferry Copenhagen with its first wind auxiliary propulsion unit in 2020.Berlin, a sister vessel to Copenhagen, also operates on the Rostock-Gedser route but, unlike Copenhagen, is flagged by Germany.Scandlines has had more than a year to collect data on how the Norsepower rotor sail works on Copenhagen, and what effect it has on the route.Scandlines’ COO…

The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…

Wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower said it has secured a contract to install five tilting rotor sails on board a large bulk carrier for an anonymous shipowner, marking the Finnish company's first installation aboard a newbuild vessel. Preparations are currently underway with the installation scheduled to take place in 2021.Norsepower’s fuel-saving rotor sail auxiliary propulsion solution, which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships, is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor…

Finnish provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems for ships Norsepower has completed a joint project with China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) for the development of an energy-efficient dual-fuel 300,000 dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) design.The design has already received an approval in principle (AiP) from classification societies Lloyd’s Register and ABS.Under the agreement, Rotor Sails were implemented in the VLCC design for improving the fuel efficiency and reducing emissions, the engineering company said.The impact of the installation of Norsepower’s Rotor Sail solution, including a review of structural reinforcement and visibility calculation…

The WASP (Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion) project, funded by the Interreg North Sea Europe program, part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to the tune of €3.4 million has been officially approved and launched.The project brings together universities, wind-assist technology providers with ship owners to research, trial and validate the operational performance of a selection of wind propulsion solutions thus enabling wind propulsion technology market penetration and contributing to a greener North Sea transport system through harvesting the regions abundant wind potential.This fully aligns with the wider programs’ objective of promoting the development and adoption of products…

OGCI Climate Investments has led an EUR 8 million investment round in Norsepower, along with current investors, to accelerate Norsepower’s growth on global markets.The investment enables Norsepower to scale up production at its manufacturing facilities as part of a next phase of commercialization triggered by demand for its renewable wind energy propulsion systems, said a press release from Norsepower Oy Ltd., the provider of low maintenance, software operated, data verified auxiliary renewable wind energy propulsion systems.The increased take-up comes at a time when the international shipping industry looks to offset expensive fuel…

Ferry operator Scandlines has announced that it has signed an agreement with Norsepower Oy Ltd, leading clean technology and engineering company pioneering modern wind propulsion technology, to install Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution on board the M/V Copenhagen, a hybrid passenger ferry.Operating between Rostock in Germany and Gedser in Denmark, the M/V Copenhagen belongs to the world’s largest fleet of hybrid ferries, which combines diesel and battery power. Since 2013, Scandlines…

Electric ferries are in a rapid development, and the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) is actively engaged in ensuring that safety is part of the innovative efforts taking place in the Blue Denmark.The DMA is working in a joint project with the industry, other authorities and classification societies to promote understanding of the use of lithium-ion batteries in the maritime industry. With a particular focus on safety.Denis Cederholm-Larsen, Senior Ship Inspector at the Danish Maritime Authority said: "The project's results is to provide a common understanding of the use of lithium-ion batteries in the maritime industry, which will benefit both authorities and the industry."The project is expected to be completed during the summer of 2019.

Swedish HH Ferries Group has inaugurated the two ferries Aurora and Tycho Brahe as the world’s largest battery-powered passenger ferries on the route between Helsingborg, Sweden and Helsingör, Denmark.A press release from the owner of the ferry route which is marketed under the trademark Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör quoted Johan Röstin, CEO as saying: “Today’s official inauguration marks a milestone for HH Ferries Group’s green strategy. The ambitious project reduces the company’s total emissions of CO2, NOx and particles by 65% when the two high-frequency ferries are powered by green electricity."He added: "That is great news for the environment in and around Öresund and for customers and inhabitants in our local area.

Classification society DNV GL has announced the launch of a Joint Development Project (JDP), designed to advance the understanding of the use of lithium-ion batteries in the shipping industry. More than a dozen partners from the entire value chain have joined the initiative, including flag states, research institutions, battery and propulsion suppliers, fire detection and extinguishing system providers, and ship owners, operators and yards. “Including batteries in ships, whether as a hybrid or fully electric system…