By
Alice Chambers |
Scandlines has partnered with Danish climate tech start-up ReFlow to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) for its upcoming zero-emission ferry, which will operate between Puttgarden, Fehmarn, and Rødby, Denmark.
ReFlow will use digital twins – a digital representation of the ferry – to demonstrate the carbon emissions that the vessel will generate throughout its life cycle from construction until it stops operating. The LCA will allow Scandlines to run simulations of green technology so that it can develop and improve its design in the future if necessary.
The vessel, which is now under construction at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, will be 148 metres long with a capacity for 140 passengers.
“Our new zero-emission vessel will be electrically powered, so it makes good sense for us to look at the entire life cycle and understand the remaining emissions so they can be improved over time,” said Fini Hansen, vice president of the fleet at Scandlines. “The digital solution from ReFlow will be a good enabler for our green procurement strategy as it allows our current and future suppliers to provide climate data on their products. Product climate data will allow us to evaluate products and eventually lower the carbon footprint over time.”
ReFlow will complete the LCA within the next three months.
“We are very excited about the new cooperation and also looking forward to the world premiere of applying LCA to a complete ferry – it is an industry first to our knowledge,” said Rasmus Elsborg-Jensen, CEO and founder of ReFlow. “It is our ambition to provide Scandlines with a granular understanding of the emissions associated with, not just the fuel use, but also the vessel itself, allowing for future plug and play scenarios where new greener technologies can be assessed on the vessel before an investment.”
Several original equipment manufacturers are already using LCA calculations, which are helping to reduce the price and prolong the life cycle of vessels by over 80 per cent compared to traditional manual approaches.
“Using LCA, the shipowners can get a more detailed understanding of the current environmental profile of a vessel but also, more importantly, understand the future roads towards a greener vessel – a patch that often is linked with partnerships and new technologies,” said Elsborg-Jensen.