With a massive order for two battery-powered catamarans for the Kattegat route, Molslinjen is launching what the ferry company itself calls “the world’s largest electrification project at sea.”
Molslinjen’s owners, Nordic Ferry Infrastructure, have just ordered two battery-powered “mega-catamarans” for the Kattegat route—a project expected to cost around DKK 3.5 billion. In addition to the two ordered ferries, the price also includes extensive onshore charging infrastructure and a third ferry, for which the company is currently seeking a supplier.
This was announced by Molslinjen A/S in a press release.
“For many years, Molslinjen has been critical infrastructure, creating cohesion with a floating bridge between Jutland and Zealand. Now, we are ensuring that this floating bridge becomes far greener while also setting a milestone in the green transition for both ferry operations and Denmark,” says Carsten Jensen, CEO of Nordic Ferry Infrastructure.
The three catamarans will be 129 meters long and 30.5 meters wide, with space for 1,483 passengers and 500 cars—a capacity increase of over 25% compared to Express 5, which sails the Bornholm route today and is, according to Molslinjen, the world’s largest catamaran measured by car capacity.
Each of the new ships will have battery packs of 45,000 kWh and can reach speeds exceeding 40 knots.
“This is a massive project that, beyond the three ferries, involves extensive construction of onshore infrastructure as well as systems for storing electricity for the new ferries,” says Kristian Durhuus, CEO of Molslinjen.
However, the same Kristian Durhuus shared a less optimistic message in March when Søfart asked him about the electrification of the Kattegat route:
“The challenge is the weight of the battery relative to the ferry’s total load capacity. This applies both to ferries that must sail long distances quickly and, in fact, also to those that must sail long distances slowly. The technology is also not ready for cargo ships on long voyages,” he told Søfart at the time.
But this has apparently changed over the past few months.
The project is estimated at around DKK 3.5 billion and includes charging stations in Aarhus and Sjællands Odde, where each catamaran can charge at 55 MW for 30 minutes—equivalent to approximately 25,000 kWh per charge. Molslinjen has applied for state support via the green tax package, which is expected to enable an annual reduction of 132,000 tons of CO₂.
