Two ferries will complete €100m conversions this autumn and offer increased capacity on the route
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Scandinavian ferry operator Scandlines recorded an increase in traffic on the Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser routes between Germany and Denmark in 2014 and the first half of 2015.
The ferry operator expects traffic to continue to rise when it introduces Berlin and Copenhagen to the Rostock-Gedser route after they complete their respective €100 million conversions at the Fayard shipyard in Munkebo, Denmark. Berlin is expected to leave Fayard in late October and begin service in November.
“We had a positive development in traffic in 2014 and we are pleased about the fact that this trend has continued in the first half of 2015,” said Søren Poulsgaard Jensen, CEO of Scandlines. “The figures seem positive, especially on Rostock-Gedser, which is good news towards the deployment of the two new ships in a few months.”
Both Berlin and Copenhagen now have the capacity to carry 1,300 passengers, rather than 1,000, and 460 cars or 96 trucks, more than double the capacity of the ships currently sailing on the route. This increased capacity is expected to appeal to local bus tour companies who frequently use the ferry to take passengers to Berlin in Germany, Prague or Scandinavia.
The two new ferries will replace Kronprins Frederik and Prince Joachim, which currently operate on the Rostock-Gedser route and will offer more regular departures every two hours, staying in the harbour for just 15 minutes.
To ensure a stable transition, Scandlines has retained the former Great Belt ferry Kronprins Frederik and plans to use it as a replacement ferry on both the Rostock-Gedser and Puttgarden-Rødby routes.