Scandlines' new zero direct emission freight ferry - Construction update
Scandlines’ new zero direct emission freight ferry – Construction update
Around Europe, suppliers and partners are building, testing and digging for the many different products and solutions that will be part of Scandlines' new zero direct emission ferry, PR24 (Puttgarden-Rødby 2024) for the Fehmarn Belt.
Two-thirds of the steel plates for PR24 have now been cut at the Cemre shipyard in Turkey, and the ferry currently consists of eight sections which have already been placed on the bedding. Another 16 sections are under construction.
In close cooperation with the Scandlines site team, the yard is developing a 3D model of the ferry. The model enables users to digitally move around the ferry while simultaneously ensuring that construction drawings and the 3D model are continuously being updated with correct and revised information as the construction of the ferry progresses. The three members of the Scandlines site team at the shipyard in Turkey have recently visited Scandlines in Rødby and have also been aboard the company's ferries on both Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser.
The Swiss battery manufacturer Leclanché has started producing the record-breaking battery bank for the new ferry. With a capacity of 10 MWh it will be the largest lithium-ion battery installation on a ferry to date.
When the ferry starts operating on the Fehmarn Belt in 2024, it can charge in just 17 minutes in Rødby. With green power, of course. Already in 2019, Scandlines invested in a 50 kV / 25 MW power cable to Rødbyhavn. In spring 2023, this cable will be extended approximately 1.2 km to the new transformer station between ferry berth 2 and 3. The work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.
With a crossing time of 70 minutes, the ferry is emission-free. It can also be operated as a hybrid ferry in the same manner as the current passenger ferries on the Scandlines routes between Germany and Denmark. When operated as hybrid ferry the crossing time is 45 minutes.
Thus three GenSets, which are a combination of a diesel engine and a generator for power production, will be installed on the PR24. In recent weeks, Rolls Royce in Germany and its subsidiary mtu in the Netherlands have carried out a series of FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) test runs on the three GenSets at various loads to ensure that they meet the specifications. Rolls Royce also carried out vibration measurements at relevant positions and recorded extremely low values. The level of vibrations is indeed very satisfying.
In the terminals of Puttgarden and Rødby, the construction companies have also started rebuilding berth 3 and berth 1 respectively and installing stronger ramps for the purpose of allowing freight units to the upper deck of PR24. The new ramps will be installed next autumn.
Data for zero direct emission Scandlines freight ferry for the Puttgarden-Rødby route:
- Length: 147.4 m
- Breadth: 25.4 m
- Design draft: 5.30 m
- Freight capacity: 66 freight units (abt. 1,200 lane meters)
- Max. number of passengers: 140
- Service speed: 16/10 knots
- Battery system: 10 MWh
- Charging time in port: 17 minutes
- Investment: 80 MEUR