Scandlines CEO Søren Poulsgaard Jensen shares his plans for zero-emission ferries
By
David Mott |
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2016 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Scandlines officially named Berlin, the first of its two new hybrid passenger ferries for the Rostock-Gedser route between Germany and Denmark, on 3 May 2016.
“The past few months have been extremely exciting as everybody has been working tremendously hard to finalise this complex project, and I was very proud to share the vessel with our customers,” says Søren Poulsgaard Jensen, CEO of the German/Danish ferry operator.
While Berlin has been successfully launched and her sister ship, Copenhagen, is on track to debut this autumn, Jensen admits that the construction project faced several challenges.
Originally, Scandlines awarded the contract for the two 1,300-passenger hybrid ferries to P+S Werften in Stralsund, Germany in 2009. Although the keels were laid at the end of June 2010, construction and delivery concerns forced Scandlines to cancel the order before the shipyard went bankrupt in August 2012.
Following what Jensen describes as a ‘couple of detours’, Scandlines struck a new deal with Danish shipbuilding company Fayard in July 2014. Rather than simply asking Fayard to complete the work P+S Werften started, Scandlines requested an extensive rebuild, mainly to reduce each vessel’s weight by more than 1,000gt to restore draught, load capacity and stability back to their original specifications. This was achieved by completely removing the upper deck, gutting the second upper deck, and moving the bridge to the top deck.
“We have been collaborating with Fayard for more than 35 years so we knew the company would be a reliable partner,” explains Jensen. “But of course it was not easy for Scandlines to switch the project to another shipyard halfway through the ship building process.”
The two new vessels represent an investment of more than €140 million per vessel. “It was a great relief when Berlin left the shipyard for sea trials and even more so when she started service out of Rostock on 23 May,” says Jensen. “Walking around the ferry, I am happy that we remained firm in our decision to go ahead with the order.”
Both Berlin and Copenhagen were designed to operate on Scandlines’ route between Rostock and Gedser. Berlin operates out of Rostock alongside Kronprins Frederik and has replaced Prins Joachim, which was transferred to European Seaways on 24 May for service in Greece. Copenhagen will join the route this autumn. Kronprins Frederik will be retained as a reserve vessel on both the Rostock-Gedser and Puttgarden-Rødby routes to safeguard Scandlines’ passenger capacity.
Like Scandlines’ other ferries on the Puttgarden-Rødby route, both Berlin and Copenhagen have been fitted with an award-winning hybrid propulsion system that combines traditional diesel power with batteries. Each ferry also has a closed-loop exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber) to reduce sulphur emissions by 90%.
“Berlin and Copenhagen highlight the significant operational and environmental benefits of battery hybrid propulsion,” says Jensen, claiming that Scandlines is the first company in the world to make extensive use of the hybrid technology.
Jensen adds that Scandlines’ vision for the future is to be able to operate completely emission-free ferries on the routes. “We have a clear strategy of how to realise the zero-emission ferry goal; in the next few years, we will convert the new hybrid ferries on the Puttgarden and Rødby route, and later those on the Rostock-Gedser route, to plug-in hybrid ferries,” he explains. “This will make it possible to charge the onboard batteries, while the ferries are in port.”
Scandlines invested €25 million to install green technology onboard the Puttgarden ferries between 2013 and 2015, and estimates that it will cost another €50-60 million to develop zero-emission ferries. “We have to understand what funding we have available and financing possibilities so we can develop a realistic business case,” says Jensen.
The company has also invested in its ports to accommodate the new ferries. Gedser’s facilities have been totally rebuilt, while the company has started using a new berth built specifically for Berlin and Copenhagen in Rostock. One berth will also be rebuilt in Puttgarden.
Overall, Scandlines carried 7.6 million passengers in 2015 – its highest number for five years. Jensen is confident that numbers will continue to rise with the introduction of the new ferries.