PORT OF KIEL welcomes ferry “Aura Seaways” from DFDS

This is a special maiden call: On Tuesday afternoon, the ferry “Aura Seaways” from the Danish shipping company DFDS made its first call at the Port of Kiel. It was the first time that a ship of the new ferry generation docked at the specially optimized berths 5 and 6 at the eastern harbor. Both the use of the new ramp and the subsequent loading and unloading proceeded smoothly and were completed in under four hours.

(Kiel) The successful trial run shows that the modernization projects at the eastern harbor have been successful. “Even though this week marks the first three trial calls, it is also a successful start to a new era in ferry traffic between Kiel and Klaipėda, with DFDS as our long-standing partner by our side,” emphasizes Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG. During the loading and unloading process, the automatic recording of trucks at the berth was successfully tested using a corresponding video gate system. This is part of a comprehensive digitization initiative for the terminal and is intended to enable a fully automated status change of the unloading and loading process in the future.

One of the largest ferries of its kind

The “Aura Seaways” is one of the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 230 meters in length and having a loading capacity of 4,500 lane meters for trucks as well as cabin space for up to 600 people. The ship also meets the new standards of the EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) with one of the most modern scrubber systems. Compared to the current ferries on the route, the “Aura Seaways,” built in 2021, can reduce its CO2 footprint by one-fifth. After the maiden call on Tuesday, the ship will call at Kiel two more times this week. During this time, the new RoRo ramps, which have been specially modified for the new generation of ferries, will also be tested.

The corresponding construction measures were completed a few weeks ago and are intended to make the terminal at the eastern harbor even more future-proof in the ferry sector. Previously, the smaller ferries “Athena Seaways” and “Victoria Seaways” operated on the Kiel-Klaipėda route, which will also resume operations on Sunday.

Optimization of infrastructure at the eastern harbor

The construction project at the eastern harbor “Eastern Harbor Kiel – Expansion of the maritime transport axis to the Baltic Sea through the upgrading of RoRo ramps and optimization of traffic routing” included two individual projects. Both aim for more efficient land use and future-proof optimization of the infrastructure at the eastern harbor. The construction project, amounting to 11.2 million euros, was supported by funding from the state economic program with funds from the joint task “Improvement of the regional economic structure” (GRW) amounting to 6.7 million euros.

Photo: © PORT OF KIEL