Ferry Stena Line, Denmark’s Frederikshavn municipality, and the Port of Frederikshavn have signed an agreement to deploy battery-powered ferries on the Gothenburg-Frederikshavn route 

The partners aim to have two battery-powered ropax Stena Elektra vessels operational by 2030. 215-m long Stena Elektra can accommodate more than 1,200 passengers and has a freight capacity of 3,100 lane metres, with battery power of 60-70 MWh.

“Our ambition is to lead the development towards fossil-fuel-free shipping and sustainable transport at sea. That is why we are investing in new technologies and various alternative fuels. We are already 10 years ahead of the international shipping industry’s target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but with Stena Elektra we are taking another big step on Stena Line’s sustainable journey, on the road to a completely fossil fuel free operation,” said Stena Line chief executive Niclas Mårtensson.

In addition to battery-powered vessels, cutting emissions requires onshore infrastructure like charging facilities to be developed in parallel. Shore infrastructure needed for Stena Elektra is a voltage shore power cable of around 30-40 MW

The Port of Frederikshavn has committed to securing the necessary infrastructure in the port and its surroundings on the Danish side.

Niclas Mårtensson (L) CEO Stena Line, Birgit Hansen (C) Chairwoman, Fredrikshavn Municipality and Mikkel Seedorff Sørensen (R) CEO Port of Fredrikshavn (Source: Stena Line)

Port of Frederikshavn chief executive Mikkel Seedorff Sørensen said, “The Port of Frederikshavn shares the high and green ambitions that make this project possible. The city has also shown it has a unique capacity for change in its DNA, which is evident not least in its sustainability work. Making the Gothenburg-Frederikshavn line completely independent of fossil fuels is not only positive for us, but for the entire Kattegat region.”

“Stena Elektra is a fantastic project for Frederikshavn. We know from experience that when the municipality leads the way, the business community as well as private individuals follow in our green footsteps. Our town and Stena Line have had a close relationship for a long time, but this ambitious agreement is not only important for us – it also has ripple effects throughout Denmark,” said chairwoman of the municipal council of Frederikshavn municipality, Brigit Hansen.

Stena Line earlier launched the Tranzero Initiative together with the Volvo Group, Scania and the Port of Gothenburg with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions linked to the Port of Gothenburg – the largest port in the Nordic region – by 70% by 2030. In 2018, the operator retrofitted Stena Jutlandica, currently operating on the Gothenburg-Frederikshavn route, with a 1-MWh battery.

The new agreement with the municipality and Port of Frederikshavn completes the chain.