Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

1 3 3 Scandlines has converted six passenger ferries to operate with hybrid systems to reduce emissions compensation to be able to retain employees during the summer period and cover fixed costs in a highly uncertain situation,” says Guldmann Petersen. “Unlike other companies, our status as critical infrastructure has allowed us to serve some of our customers as freight traffic has been sustained to a large extent. The coronavirus crisis and travel restrictions have had a severe impact on our ferry traffic. It is currently Scandlines’ assessment that the border closure and related effects have had a negative impact on the company’s 2020 revenue of more than DKK 1 billion ($160.5 million). Despite this, the company expects to avoid a negative result for the year, so we decided to return government compensation for fixed costs at the end of the year.” While the pandemic, the subsequent lockdown and travel restrictions have had, and will continue to have, a considerable impact on Scandlines’ bottom line, it does not affect the company’s floating bridge between Continental Europe and Scandinavia. In 2021, it has continued to operate, primarily transporting lorries. “The customers’ safety is of utmost importance to us, and we follow all recommendations from the authorities to make sure everyone observes social distance,” says Guldmann Petersen. “Naturally, our focus is also on maintaining a high standard of hygiene in all passenger and crew areas. Onboard our ferries and in our BorderShops, posters remind customers to keep social distance at all times. Hand disinfectant is available in all passenger areas and in toilet areas, where there are also posters with instructions on correct hand washing procedures. We expect that a large part of 2021 will be affected by the crisis and therefore we work hard to alleviate the effect of keeping the operation running with much lower income for several months.” Meanwhile, on the technical side, Scandlines continues to explore new clean technologies. In May 2020, the hybrid passenger ferry Copenhagen, which operates between Rostock and Gedser, was retrofitted with a Norsepower rotor sail unit measuring 30 metres in height and five metres in diameter. “The rotor sail solution is a modernised version of the Flettner rotor, a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to thrust a ship,” says Guldmann Petersen. “The installation is expected to reduce emissions and save fuel by an estimated four to five per cent on average without compromising pre- retrofit speed and voyage times.” Photo: Siemens/Ulrich Wirrwa