Scandlines picks shiprepair yard for Fehmarn Belt ferries conversion

June 10, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

Danish ferry operator Scandlines is moving forward with the planned conversion project encompassing two of its ferries operating on the Vogelflug Line.

The company intends to invest more than €31 million in the conversion of the ship pair to plug-in hybrid ferries. The project is part of Scandlines’ long-term strategy to protect the Baltic Sea region and the Fehmarn Belt.

As informed, the ferry company has signed a contract with Western Shiprepair in Lithuania for the conversion. The conversion of the ferry Deutschland is planned to begin at the end of August and the Schleswig-Holstein in December. The entire conversion is expected to be completed by early 2026.

“We are delighted to have signed a contract with Western Shiprepair, one of the BLRT repair yards, which was awarded the retrofit contract after an extensive and lengthy tender process. By electrifying two of our Fehmarnbelt ferries, we are moving significantly closer to our goal of reducing emissions on the route to zero by 2030,” Michael Guldmann Petersen, Scandlines COO, said.

“It is an honor to continue our long-standing partnership with Scandlines through this milestone project, which supports the green transition in maritime transport… The conversion of two ferries operating on the Fehmarn Belt to plug-in hybrids is a significant step forward, not only for Scandlines’ ambitious sustainability goals, but for the entire ferry industry,” Ingrida Streckienė, Managing Director of Western Shiprepair | BLRT Repair Yards, highlighted.

Streckienė added that the collaboration between the two companies is “a significant contribution to the ongoing decarbonization of European ferry shipping”.

According to Scandlines, the aim is to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 80 percent and promote ferry operations with electricity from renewable energies.

“It’s about more than just technology—it’s about responsibility. As a ferry company operating daily in some of the world’s most sensitive waters, we have a special obligation to protect the marine environment in which we operate,” Petersen commented.

On average, the ferry’s batteries are charged to at least 80 percent of the energy needed for a crossing in just 12 minutes. The conversion includes the installation of 5 MWh energy storage systems on each ferry; charging facilities for the ferries on board and at the ferry piers in Puttgarden and Rødby; and renewable electricity as the primary energy source during crossings.

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This initiative has been described as “an important milestone” on the way to achieving the goal of operating the Puttgarden-Rødby route with zero direct emissions by 2030. It is also part of Scandlines’ overall goal of becoming a directly emission-free company by 2040, in line with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is supporting the project financially as part of a funding program for the sustainable modernization of coastal vessels, covering up to 40 percent of the conversion costs.

Between 2013 and 2024, the shipping company invested €380 million in emission-reduction technologies, such as the new hybrid ferries on the Rostock-Gedser route, which were additionally equipped with rotor sails and new propeller blades on the center propellers.

In related news, a new zero direct emissions ferry ordered by Scandlines recently completed its first set of sea trials in Türkiye. The future E/V Futura will be officially named at a ceremony in connection with its deployment on the Fehmarn Belt later in 2025.

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