Scandlines zero direct emissions ferry enters final phase of construction

Construction of the €80m (US$89m) E/V Futura at the Cemre shipyard in Turkey has entered its final phase.

Zero direct emissions ferry

The ferry is equipped with a 10MWh battery system, which, the partners say, produces zero direct emissions during the crossing. During its dock stay, the bitts for the automatic mooring, which must fit exactly in the ferry berths, and the connection to the charging towers in the ports of Rødby, Denmark, and Puttgarden, Germany, were measured. As of September 2025, the large battery system of the ferry will be able to charge in just 12 minutes in both ports.

“These measurements must be very precise, as there is very little tolerance. That’s why we make them in the dock and not while the ship is moving at the quay,” said Rasmus Nielsen, naval architect at Scandlines.

The zero direct emission Scandlines freight ferry will serve the Puttgarden-Rødby route and has been designed with a length of 147.4m and a breadth of 25.4m. It has a design draft of 5.30m and can carry up to 66 freight units, which is approximately 1,200 lane meters. The ferry can accommodate a maximum of 140 passengers and operates at a service speed of 16kts, which can be reduced to 10kts when necessary. The crossing time for this route will be 45 minutes, starting next year. The ferry will be officially named at a ceremony in connection with its deployment on the Fehmarn Belt later in 2024.

Energy-efficient features

On July 29, 2024, the ship entered the floating dock to have the bottom cleaned and painted, among other things, and on August 10, she headed out to sea again.

In addition to the painting work, the forward thruster was also fitted during the docking, while the aft thruster, which has been in the water since the launch in November 2023, was cleaned and painted. The bottom and thrusters have been painted with silicone paint so that the ship can glide energy-efficiently through the water.

System testing

The partners highlighted that all systems must be tested before heading to Denmark. For this reason, E/V Futura is now back at the fitting-out quay, where she must be finished. All auxiliary systems will be tested, and then she will go on a sea trial, where the Sea Acceptance Tests (SAT) can begin. In this quay, all systems of the ship will be tested at full load under the supervision of the Danish Maritime Authority and Lloyd’s Register.

“The SAT tests last one to two weeks, during which the ship is out sailing, with the possibility of changing crew morning and evening. This way, we can always have the craftsmen and technicians on board who are needed to make corrections and adjustments, instead of everyone being on board all the time,” explained Nielsen.

Once the SAT tests have been completed and the ship has been delivered to Scandlines, E/V Futura can begin the journey home to Rødbyhavn.

“We are very much looking forward to putting our first emission-free ferry into operation on the Puttgarden-Rødby route. Futura is an investment in the future – for us as a ferry operator in general and, not least, as an important part of meeting our goal of zero-emission operation of the Puttgarden-Route route by 2030,” said Michael Guldmann Petersen, chief operating officer (COO) of Scandlines.

To find out more about the construction of Scandlines’ zero direct emissions freight ferry, which will be deployed on the Fehmarn Belt between Puttgarden in Germany and Rødby in Denmark in 2024, click here.