The German-Danish ferry operator Scandlines has extended its cooperation with the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) for a further three years.
Among other things, NABU advises the company on how to make its fleet more environmentally friendly. The common goal is ferry travel without direct emissions.
“We are delighted that NABU will continue to advise us on our further steps towards a future without direct emissions,” said Michael Guldmann Petersen, COO of Scandlines. “Over the next three years, we will work together on concrete projects to reduce the shipping company’s negative impact and contribute to raising awareness.”
In the past, for example, NABU has played a key role in helping Scandlines convert its ferries from traditional diesel to battery hybrid operation. This collaboration has “inspired” the shipping company to make other processes outside of ferry operations more sustainable and to critically scrutinize current processes. “Among other things, this has led to a significant reduction in underwater noise through the use of special thrusters,” said Scandlines. “The measures to promote biodiversity in the port of Puttgarden, which include the unsealing of areas, the installation of nesting aids for bats and swifts and the creation of a large wildflower meadow, were also developed in cooperation with NABU. ”
Eric Grégoire, CEO, Scandlines, is also delighted with the collaboration: “The Baltic Sea, where we operate our ferries, is and remains a sensitive ecosystem that we must protect. NABU can advise us very well here.”
NABU: “Scandlines is a global pioneer”
“We are very pleased to continue our long-standing cooperation,” says Sönke Diesener, Senior Consultant for Transport Policy and Shipping Expert at NABU. “Scandlines has become a global pioneer in the electrification of ocean-going vessels and has already been able to drastically reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions as a result. We are delighted to be shaping the consistent path to zero local emissions together and to be implementing positive ecological projects outside of ferry operations as well.”
With its “Green Ambition”, Scandlines sees itself as a pioneer in the field of ferry shipping. The technical solutions implemented so far have set the pace for many other ferry companies in their reorientation towards more climate-friendly shipping. Just a few days ago, a “Zero Direct Emission” newbuild, built at the Turkish Cemre shipyard, completed its first test run. The ship will be deployed on the Puttgarden-Rødby route in future.
Beyond its hands-on work with Scandlines, NABU is also active on the global stage. At the recent IMO MEPC 83 session in London, Sönke Diesener, NABU’s Senior Consultant for Transport Policy, described the organization’s role as both “agenda-setter and watchdog” in international maritime negotiations. Listen to our full interview with Sönke Diesener in the latest episode of HANSA.newscast to hear more about NABU’s global engagement and what’s at stake for maritime climate policy.
#58 Inside MEPC 83: NABU’s Sönke Diesener on Climate Action, Setbacks & Strategy at the IMO
