The hybrid ferry COPENHAGEN, which runs between Rostock and Gedser, was retrofitted in May 2020 with a 30m high rotor sail from Norsepower Oy Ltd.
“By installing the rotor sail, CO2 emissions can be reduced by an estimated 4-5% without affecting the speed and travel time,” reports Heiko Kähler, Managing Director of Scandlines Deutschland GmbH.
With the green investments, Scandlines was already able to demonstrate stable and solid economic performance in the 2019 operating result and it is assumed that this will also benefit the business.
In the first months of 2020, business was still relatively stable, but the outbreak of COVID-19 within Europe and the subsequent travel restrictions led to a sharp decline in passenger traffic. “To date, we have already recorded a loss of more than 70,000 cars on the Rostock-Gedser route and we expect that the traffic figures will also be negatively affected by the Corona crisis for the rest of the year,” said Heiko Kähler.
Even during the Corona crisis, Scandlines continued to operate on both the Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser routes in order to serve freight customers and thus ensure critical supply chains On Rostock-Gedser Scandlines transported 90% of the truck volumes compared to the previous year.
Although Scandlines is optimistic, the outbreak of COVID-19 is expected to have a significant negative impact on traffic and economic results this year.
