Scandlines: sustainable seas

Mariano A. Davies explores how Scandlines has grown from a historic German-Danish partnership into a pioneer of green ferry transport.

Photograph: Scandlines FB Pg

Text: Mariano Anthony Davies

Scandlines is based on a strong German-Danish collaboration for more than a hundred years. In 1998, the two shipping partners, German DFO and Danish Scandlines, merged into the company Scandlines AG. The owners were Deutsche Bahn and the Danish Ministry of Transport. However, in 2007, Scandlines became a private company.

History

In 1903, the first rail ferry crossed the Baltic Sea between Warnemünde in Germany and Gedser in Denmark. At the time, the ferry was a steamboat. Today, two hybrid ferries operate the route, and both of them even have a rotor sail. The route remained intact despite two world wars and a divided Germany, which resulted in limited travel activity on the route for 40 years.

In 1963, an additional ferry route between the two countries was established – the so-called Beeline between Puttgarden in Germany and Rødby in Denmark. The plans to have a ferry crossing had been discussed for a hundred years, but wars had prevented the plans from being realised. Once established, the Beeline became very popular, and in 1988, 100 million passengers had used the crossing.

In 1989, the Wall between the two Germanys fell, and this gave rise to new possibilities to collaborate. Then, in 1993, the two ferry operators’ shipping companies, which had operated in the east and west, merged into the company DFO. In Denmark, the state-owned shipping company was turned into a limited company, and in 1997, the company changed its name to Scandlines.

As the economy in the former Eastern Europe improved, the easterly route between Warnemünde and Gedser bloomed so that in 1995, the route moved from the port in Warnemünde to the port in nearby Rostock.

German-Danish ferry investment

In 1997, the strong collaboration led to a joint investment in four new ferries for the Beeline. The Germans delivered two ferries and the Danes another two. All four ferries are double-ended RoRo ferries.

The four ferries are basically identical, but if you look closely, you can see differences in the design both outside and inside. Furthermore, the two German ferries sail under the German flag and have German crew, whereas the two Danish ferries sail under the Danish flag and have Danish crew.

“Scandlines is steering towards an emission-free future while staying true to its century-old roots.”

Emissions-free ferries

In 2013, they took the first step towards zero direct emissions free ferries by converting the Puttgarden-Rødby ferry M/V Prinsesse Benedikte to hybrid propulsion in order to reduce CO2 emissions. The hybrid system is similar to that of hybrid cars, where petrol or diesel is combined with electricity. The conversion was successful, and in 2014, they converted the three other passenger ferries on the route to hybrid propulsion.

Based on the good results with the hybrid ferries on Puttgarden-Rødby, they decided also to go for hybrid ferries for their Rostock-Gedser route. When put into service in 2016, they were the largest hybrid ferries in the world.

In 2020, they took further steps towards a green agenda. Underwater, they installed new thrusters (which drive the ship forward) on two of the four passenger ferries on the Puttgarden-Rødby route. The new thrusters reduce both underwater noise and CO2 emissions. Over the next two years, the two other passenger ferries on the route got new thrusters. On the Rostock-Gedser route, a rotor sail was fitted to the hybrid ferries “M/V Copenhagen” and “M/V Berlin”, which further reduces the ferries' CO2 emissions. This is a very clear sign of a journey towards emission-free ferries.

Green agenda strategy

To broaden their Green Agenda, they have developed six key focus areas that reflect the most relevant and important aspects of sustainability across the entire Scandlines organisation, including its operations and stakeholders. In line with the ESG Framework, sustainability at Scandlines goes beyond climate action through their efforts to reduce emissions in their ferry operations. It covers additional aspects of environmental protection (E-Environmental) and includes social concerns within the company and along its supply chains (S-Social), as well as good governance (G-Governance).

• Environmental Protection - Preservation of the Marine Environment.

• Health and Safety - Employees, workers, customers, vendors and others.

• People – Providing opportunities for the local communities.

• Customer Satisfaction – Providing safe and efficient transportation.

• Compliance and Ethics - Comply with relevant anti-bribery laws.

• Healthy Supply Chains – Vendor environment and human rights principles.

Through continuous efforts and implemented projects in the six focus areas, they also contribute to the achievement of 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals within their 2030 timeframe.