Scandlines entrusts a dual hybrid task to Wärtsilä
Af Benita Dreyer-Andersen
Two of Scandlines' vessels are soon to undergo conversion to plug-in hybrid.
These are the ro/ro ferries 'Deutschland' and 'Schleswig-Holstein,' two of the four Scandlines ferries operating between Rødby and Puttgarden.
The task has been entrusted to the Finnish energy conglomerate Wärtsilä, which has taken on the project in the second quarter of 2024. Wärtsilä will deliver and install the electrical system to convert the ferries from diesel-powered to hybrid operation. The conversion is scheduled to commence in the summer of 2025.
This information is disclosed by Wärtsilä.
The task involves replacing an engine and the existing system with a new electrical system that can be charged with shore power. Wärtsilä will also supply a 5MW energy storage system for each ferry. Once the installation is completed, electricity will provide approximately 80 percent of the required energy for the crossings.
Facts: Scandlines' electrification of the two Rødby-Puttgarden ferries
- Service speed: 18.5 knots
- Onboard energy storage system: 5 MWh on both ferries
- Charging time in port (Rødby and Puttgarden): 12 minutes
- Investment: Over DKK 230 million
- Financial support: The German Ministry of Transport has granted financial support to the project as part of the sustainable modernization of coastal vessels to reduce emissions, covering up to 40 percent of the conversion costs.
Kilde: Scandlines
Project open for bidding
Scandlines informs Søfart that the task has been put out for bidding, with several suppliers in consideration. In addition to providing the systems themselves, Wärtsilä will supervise the installation onboard and handle commissioning.
Wärtsilä has carried out numerous hybrid conversions on ships worldwide, with the first one taking place in 2012. This extensive and long-standing experience was a crucial factor for this project.
- It is a great pleasure to have the key supplier in place, and we are very much looking forward to working with Wärtsilä and starting the conversion. With the plug-in hybrid ferries, we can get even closer to our goal of operating the Rødby-Puttgarden route emission-free by 2030, says Scandlines' CEO Michael Guldmann Petersen.
The conversion aligns with Scandlines' ambition to sail emission-free on all vessels by 2040 and similarly on the Rødby-Puttgarden route by 2030.
