Scandlines

Scandlines

Type	Private
Industry	Transport
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Copenhagen , Denmark
Number of locations	Two routes
Area served	Baltic Sea
Services	Ferries
Operating income	477 million EUR (2018)
Owner	First Sentier Investors Hermes Investment Management 3i
Subsidiaries	Scandlines Deutschland, Scandlines Danmark
Website

Scandlines is a ferry company that operates the Rødby–Puttgarden and Gedser–Rostock ferry routes between Denmark and Germany.

Scandlines owns 7 ferries, 6 of which are hybrid ferries, making Scandlines the owner of the world's largest fleet of hybrid ferries.

In a normal year, Scandlines has over 41,500 departures, 7 million passengers, 1.7 million passenger cars and approx. 700,000 freight units on its two routes.

Scandlines has two subsidiaries, Scandlines Danmark ApS and Scandlines Deutschland GmbH, which operate in the two main countries.

History

Scandlines has a long history.

In 1903, the first railway ferry sailed between Gedser in Denmark and Warnemünde in Germany, where De Danske Statsbaner, DSB, operated the route from the Danish side in partnership with a state-owned German shipping company.

A second service, the 'bird's flight line' (die Vogelfluglinie in German) between Rødby and Puttgarden was added in 1963, creating a direct route between Copenhagen and Hamburg.

The company was separated from DSB in 1995, and transformed into an independent limited company called DSB Rederi, which was in turn rebranded Scandlines in 1997. In 1998, the two shipping company partners, Danish Scandlines and German DFO, merged into the company Scandlines, owned by the Danish Ministry of Transport and Deutsche Bahn.

Scandlines was privatized in 2007, and sold to the British infrastructure fund 3i, the German investment company Allianz Capital and the shipping company Deutsche Seereederei.

Between 1999 and 2015, part of Scandlines' ferry routes were sold, including Aarhus-Kalundborg to Molslinjen, and Helsingør-Helsingborg to ForSea Ferries.

Today, Scandlines is owned by a consortium consisting of the three infrastructure funds, First Sentier Investors, 3i and Federated Hermes.

The main focus is on the two routes Gedser-Rostock and Rødby-Puttgarden.

Management

The top management consists of CEO Carsten Nørland, CFO Per Johannesen Madsen and COO Michael Guldmann Petersen.

The German part of the organization also has two directors: Heiko Kähler and Gerald Lefold, who are responsible for the day-to-day management of Scandlines' German companies.

Crossings

Routes

Scandlines operates two ferry routes between Denmark and Germany.

Rødby – Puttgarden

Gedser – Rostock

Ferries

Scandlines has six hybrid ferries and one freight ferry. In 2022, two ferry had a rotor sail mounted.

Scandlines' ferries on Rødby-Puttgarden:

Name	Built	Tonnage	Passengers	Notes	Images
M/F Prins Richard	1997	14.621	1140	Hybrid
M/F Prinsesse Benedicte	1997	14.621	1140	Hybrid
M/F Schleswig-Holstein	1997	15.187	1200	Hybrid
M/F Deutschland	1997	15.187	1200	Hybrid

Scandlines' ferries on Gedser-Rostock:

Name	Built	Tonnage	Passengers	Notes	Images
M/F Berlin	2012	22.319	1.300	Hybrid and rotor sail	Berlin before rotor sail
M/F Copenhagen	2012	22.319	1.300	Hybrid and rotor sail

Freight ferry

Name	Built	Tonnage	Passengers	Notes	Images
M/F Kronprins Frederik	1981	16.071	1400	Freight & Replacement
TBA	2024	TBD	140	Freight

In November 2021, it was announced that the company has ordered a battery-electric ferry for the Puttgarden-Rødby route from Cemre Shipyard. The new vessel is due to enter service in 2024 and will have two-deck loading alongside a freight capacity of 66 HGVs, or some 1200 lane metres.

Harbours

Scandlines owns the harbours areas in Rødby, Gedser and Puttgarden and rents an area in the harbour of Rostock.