Since 2013, we have operated with environmentally friendly hybrid technology. In 2020, we installed a rotor sail on M/V Copenhagen, which operates our route between Rostock in Germany and Gedser in Denmark. With that, we added environmentally friendly wind power technology to the list of green initiatives. With the rotor sail from Finnish Norsepower, we can further reduce CO₂ emission from the hybrid ferry.

The rotor sail on M/V Copenhagen is based on the almost 100-year old concept of the Flettner rotor technology. It is a 30-metre tall, rotating cylinder, which by using the Magnus-effect contributes to pushing the ship forward. When the wind meets the spinning cylinder, the airflow accelerates on one side of the cylinder and decelerates on the opposite side of the cylinder. The change in the speed of airflow results in a pressure difference, which creates a lift force that pushes the ship forward perpendicularly to the wind flow direction.

A rotor sail has the optimum effect when it is windy and the wind comes from the side. The route between Rostock to the south and Gedser to the north is almost perpendicular to the prevailing wind from the west or the east. This gives us favourable conditions for using rotor sails on the crossing.

Following the successful installation of the Norsepower rotor sail on the hybrid ferry M/V Copenhagen in 2020, and a year of demonstrated results, Scandlines has prepared the sister ferry M/V Berlin for its own rotor sail installation. The hybrid ferry, M/V Berlin, also operates on the Rostock-Gedser route but, unlike M/V Copenhagen, is flagged by Germany.

Scandlines’ COO, Michael Guldmann Petersen, commented: “We expected the M/V Copenhagen rotor sail to provide a 4 - 5 per cent CO₂ reduction. That expectation has been met, so we have now taken the next step and prepared the sister ferry M/V Berlin for installation.”

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