Scandlines celebrated the keel laying of its new zero direct emission freight ferry. The ferry will be inserted on the Puttgarden-Rødby route in 2024. It will launch the next generation of ferries on the route.
The ferry can charge in just 17 minutes in Rødby. In 2019, Scandlines invested in a 50 kV / 25 MW power cable at Færgevej in Rødbyhavn. In spring 2023, work will start on extending this cable to the ferry berths, where a transformer and charging station will be installed.
With a crossing time of 70 minutes, the ferry is emission-free. It can also be operated as a hybrid ferry like the current passenger ferries on the Scandlines routes between Germany and Denmark.
When operated as hybrid ferry, the crossing time is 45 minutes. Thus, the ferry can also be used as backup ferry if one of the four double-ended ferries that are currently operating the Puttgarden-Rødby route, is unavailable due to a yard stay.
The rebuilding of the terminals in Puttgarden and Rødby has already started. Berth 1 in Rødby will be converted into a lay-up berth for all five double-ended ferries.
The freestanding part of the concrete bridge, which in 1970-1997 provided access for cars to the upper deck of the ferries, has been removed and a crane has pulled up the moving span.
As PR24 will be transporting lorries on both the upper and lower decks – as it is currently the case on the ferries operating the Rostock-Gedser route – berth 1 in Puttgarden and berth 3 in Rødby must also be rebuilt. This work is expected to start later this year.
Climate and environmental issues have long been high on Scandlines’ agenda. As early as 2013, the ferry company invested in hybrid ferries with battery banks, and in 2024 the first emission-free ferry will be inserted on the Puttgarden-Rødby route. Only six years later, in 2030, the entire route will be emission-free.
