EMEA News
EU Funds Hybrid Ferry Conversions
Two ferries will be converted to hybrid vessels with the help of €2.3 million ($2.5 million) funding from the European Union (EU), MarineLink reports.
The RoPax ferries connect Rødby, Denmark and Puttgarden, Germany and will be converted to use a hybrid propulsion system partly driven by electricity, reducing the vessels' overall reliance on bunkers.
When converted, it is expected that the ferries' reduced bunker consumption will lead to a 15 percent reduction in overall carbon dioxide emissions.
The conversions are also said to be set to reduce the ferries' SOx emissions by 99 percent and particulate matter by 88 percent.
It is understood that the project was selected for funding through the European Commission's (EC) TEN-T transport infrastructure initiative.
The project will be implemented by Scandlines' German and Danish subsidiaries and will be overseen by the EC's Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA).
It is due to be completed by the end of this year.
In January, European ferry operator Stena Line announced it was about to begin the conversion of its Stena Germanica to run on methanol bunkers in a trial that could lead to more such conversions.
