In recent years, ferry operator Scandlines has continuously developed its fleet in order to
reduce CO2 emissions. 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 highperformance 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).
“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,” says Marko Möller, Head of
Business Administration & Special Projects at Scandlines.
By 2030, Scandlines will have reduced the company's total direct CO2 emissions by around
60 per cent compared to 2008. The goal remains to cause no direct emissions within the
company by 2040.
Marko Möller accepted the award together with Head of Corporate Communications,
Anette Ustrup Svendsen. The award ceremony took place in conjunction with the 10th
German Mobility Congress at St Paul's Church in Frankfurt am Main.
President of the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) Jörg-Andreas
Krüger congratulates Scandlines on the Innovation Award:
“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.”
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.
Data on Scandlines’ electrification project:
Electrification of two out of four passenger ferries operating the Puttgarden-Rødby route
Service speed: 18.5 knots
On-board energy storage system: 5 MWh on both ferries
Charging in port (Puttgarden and Rødby): 12 minutes
Investment: EUR 31 million
