Keel Laying of the New Scandlines Ferry for the Fehmarnbelt

On Tuesday, August 30, 2022, Scandlines celebrated the keel laying of the new, emission-free freight ferry of the shipping company. The ferry, which is set to operate on the Puttgarden-Rødby route in 2024, carries the working title PR24 and marks the beginning of the next generation of ships on this route.

(Cemre) On August 30, Scandlines and the Turkish shipyard Cemre achieved a milestone in connection with the keel laying. Like other modern ships, the PR24 will not be built on a single keel. Instead, it will consist of several hull sections. Last Tuesday, the first section was laid on the slipway.

“The date of the keel laying is interesting because the ship must be built according to the regulations in force at that time. This day is also associated with traditions. Therefore, we naturally place a newly minted coin under the ship during the keel laying,” said Scandlines’ COO Michael Guldmann Petersen.

Climate and environmental issues have long been at the top of Scandlines’ agenda. As early as 2013, the company invested in hybrid ferries with batteries, and in 2024, the first emission-free ferry will be put into operation on the Puttgarden-Rødby route. Just six years later, in 2030, the entire route will be emission-free.

The ferry’s batteries can be charged in just 17 minutes in Rødby. In 2019, Scandlines invested in a 50 kV / 25 MW power cable for the port in Rødby. In spring 2023, work will begin on extending this cable to the ferry berths, where a transformer and a charging station will be installed.

With a crossing time of 70 minutes, the ferry is emission-free. It can also operate as a hybrid ferry, as is currently the case on the Scandlines routes between Germany and Denmark. When operating as a hybrid ferry, the crossing time is 45 minutes. Thus, the ferry can also serve as a replacement ferry when one of the four double-ended ferries currently servicing the Puttgarden-Rødby route is in dry dock.

Work on the renovation of the terminals in Puttgarden and Rødby is already underway. Berth 1 in Rødby is being converted into a berth for all five double-ended ferries. The freestanding part of the concrete bridge, which allowed access for cars to the upper decks of the ferries from 1970 to 1997, has been removed, and the bridge flap has been dismantled using a crane.

Since the PR24 can carry trucks on both the upper and lower decks – as known from the Rostock-Gedser ferries – Berth 1 in Puttgarden and Berth 3 in Rødby will also be modified. These works are expected to begin later this year.

“Now it really gets going, and we are sending a clear signal for further growth,” said Scandlines’ CEO Carsten Nørland.

Data for the emission-free Scandlines freight ferry on the Puttgarden-Rødby route:

• Length: 147.4 m
• Width: 25.4 m
• Construction draft: 5.30 m
• Loading capacity: 66 freight units (approximately 1,200 loading meters)
• Passenger capacity: 140
• Service speed: 10 knots
• Battery system: 10 MWh
• Charging time in port (Rødby): 17 minutes
• Investment: 80 million EUR

Photo: © Scandlines