Silently across the Warnow River - new electric solar passenger ferry is scheduled to go into service in Rostock city harbour in summer 2021
Rostocker Straßenbahn AG, Janette Heidenreich
A diesel-powered ferry has been connecting Rostock's city harbor with the Gehlsdorf district on the northern side of the Warnow for 22 years. This passenger ferry connection is part of the regional transport association “Verkehrverbund Warnow” (VVW). In the beginning of 2018 the decision was made to replace the old ship with an one-man electric ship - an idea that is also anchored in the “Electric Mobility Strategy of the Hanseatic City of Rostock”.
The owner of the ferry the Hanseatic City of Rostock is implementing the project together with the Rostock Straßenbahn AG. The new ferry is being built at the "Ostseestaal" shipyard in Stralsund. The main ship dimensions are set with a length of 21 meter and a breath of 7 meter. The ship’s hull is characterized by the shape of a catamaran. With its fully electric power driven engines and therefore completely emission-free, the ferry can carry up to 80 people and 15 bicycles each trip.
The necessary electric power from renewable energy sources for the two 45 kW rudder propellers is provided by high-performance batteries, the battery capacity is 230 kWh. The batteries will be charged by shore power overnight. The batteries are also fed by 36 solar modules (total 10.8 kWp) installed on the top of the ship.
Using this electric ferry saves up to 36,000 liters of diesel per year, which corresponds to around 95 tons of carbon dioxide. Hence urban climate protection benefits from this project - another contribution on the way to a climate-neutral Hanseatic City of Rostock.
© Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG