With the commencement of operations of the new ferry “Nils Holgersson” in Travemünde, TT-Line has successfully further developed its green ship concept. The completely redesigned green ship focuses entirely on sustainability – especially in terms of its propulsion system: The “Nils Holgersson” is the very first ferry in operation in the southern Baltic Sea to be powered by LNG, making it one of the most environmentally friendly ferries ever.
During the first refuelling procedure with LNG, the State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV – Bundesministerium für Digitales und Transport), Susanne Henckel, visited the “Nils Holgersson” at Scandinavia Quay in Travemünde and gain an impression of the new technology.
BMDV State Secretary Susanne Henckel: “We support the maritime industry in using LNG as a bridge fuel for climate-neutral alternatives. In view of the massive emission savings, our funding is a well-directed investment with a signal effect for the Baltic Sea region and beyond. The ‘Nils Holgersson’ thus takes a pioneering position in European RoPax ferry services.”
TT-Line Managing Director Bernhard Johannes Termühlen: “We are constantly endeavouring to satisfy the increased demand for transport on our routes with as little energy consumption as possible, while at the same time offering our guests the perfect service. I see our task as ensuring that this is done in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Sustainability is the future. We are committed to shaping it in an environmentally friendly manner.”
The use of LNG as a marine fuel makes a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions in the shipping sector. The new LNG construction of the “Nils Holgersson” received funding support totalling 5.9 million euros from the “Upgrading and conversion of seagoing vessels for the use of LNG as a marine fuel” (“Aus- und Umrüstung von Seeschiffen zur Nutzung von LNG als Schiffskraftstoff”) funding guideline as a concrete implementation of the federal government’s Mobility and Fuels Strategy (MFS). The funding is coordinated by NOW GmbH, the granting authority is the Federal Agency for Administrative Services (BAV – Bundesanstalt für Verwaltungsdienstleistungen).
NOW Managing Director Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff: “Our funding landscape covers all alternative technologies on the path to climate-friendly shipping: from battery-electric drives and those based on fuel cells, to hydrogen and climate-neutral renewable fuels as well as the development of mobile shore power systems for seagoing and inland vessels. In order to simultaneously cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce final energy consumption, we need to use all technology options that are available to us as the optimal solution for the respective application.”
Image source: NOW