Wärtsilä will supply the electrical systems needed to convert two Scandlines RoRo ferries to a plug-in hybrid solution. The ferries operate on the Puttgarden, Germany – Rödby, Denmark, route, and the conversion represents a key element in Scandlines’ target to achieve emission-free operations on the route by 2030.
The company’s overall vision is to realise zero emissions on all operations by 2040. The two Scandlines RoRo ferries selected for conversion to plug-in hybrid operation are the 142-metre-long Deutschland and Schleswig-Holstein.
The project involves replacing an engine and existing systems with a new shore-charged electrical system, including a large energy storage system. This will allow electricity to contribute approximately eighty percent of the energy needed for each crossing.
Equipment delivered in 2025
Wärtsilä will engineer and deliver the hybrid converters, the energy storage system (ESS) and the energy management system (EMS), as well as the switchgears, transformers, the onboard port charger, and replacement components in the existing switchboard equipment. In addition, the company will supervise the installations, carry out the commissioning, and provide preventive maintenance support services. The equipment is scheduled for delivery in summer 2025.
‘We are excited to support Scandlines with their vision towards delivering environmentally sustainable transport options for the region. Ship electrification is one of the solutions for marine decarbonisation and as the world’s biggest conversion project of its kind, we can help Scandlines move closer to meeting their goal of making the route emission-free by 2030, comments Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä Marine and executive vice president at Wärtsilä Corporation.
Picture: One of the two ferries to be converted, the Schleswig-Holstein (photo by Scandlines).
