Grinding ferry update: The new ferry will not be in operation until winter 2025/26

Read more about the background story here

• Petition to preserve the old grinding wheel

Within a few days, the petition from the interest group had reached the 2,000 signatures required for the matter to be heard by the state petitions committee. The old ferry now has official permission to continue operating until 2028 - of necessity, as the new ferry is still not ready for use.

According to the Ministry of Transport in Kiel, the plan is for the old ferry to remain in service until the end of 2025. From winter 2025/26, the state is aiming for the transition to the successor ferry "Missunde III", with a delay of almost two years.

"This is good news for us," said State Secretary for Transport Tobias von der Heide on Monday in Kiel. "However, this unfortunately does not guarantee that the 'Missunde II' will last that long due to its poor technical condition." However, the "necessary time buffer" to find solutions for the new construction is welcome.

Sceptics doubt use even after conversion

In the explanatory text of the petition dated 8 May, the new ferry was criticised for being too big and too heavy and the ferry's operation was questioned even after a conversion. The head of the interest group is Brodersby's mayor Joschka Buhmann: "In our eyes, an idea is being held on to here that is not viable in terms of realisation. Taxpayers' money is being wasted here." Even if the new ferry is made navigable, it is not economically viable for the ferry leaseholder, Buhmann said in May. The new "Missunde III" takes twice as long to reach the other shore and can no longer be travelled with just one person. "Then we might have a new ferry that might run, but no longer an operator."

The grinding ferry "Missunde III": leaseholder wants to stay on board

However, two months later, the current and presumably future leaseholder of the ferry, Rüdiger Jöns, is optimistic, at least as far as these concerns are concerned. The state had assured him that the contracts would be adapted so that it would still be worthwhile for him to continue operating the ferry with the new ferry. Jöns: "I would continue with the 'Missunde II' for another five years, but I am sure that we will also get the 'Missunde III' up and running."

Necessary modifications to new ferry and landing stage

According to Birgit Matelski, Director of the State Agency for Coastal Defence, National Park and Marine Protection (LKN), a total of four jobs are now pending on the "Missunde III" and the moorings so that the new ferry can be put into operation: Two transverse thrusters are to be installed so that the ferry can be manoeuvred better. In addition, the position of the ropes along which the ferry moves must be adjusted.

Two additional dolphins and a floating pontoon are to be installed on each bank of the Schlei and wedges are to be structurally adapted to the ramps to make mooring easier. According to the plan, this work should be completed by next summer. The main things that need time are authorisations and tenders. However, the ferry is to be replaced outside of the season.

The country has not yet provided any information on the current cost development. The exact prices are to be finalised in the coming weeks. The construction of the "Missunde III" grinding ferry originally cost 3.3 million euros. The state has now commissioned a law firm to check whether there are any legal claims due to the misconstructed ship. Nevertheless, von der Heide emphasises that there is still a productive exchange with the design office.

The designer of the cable ferry is now also working together with experts from the responsible LKN and the international classification society DNV (Det Norske Veritas). Also on board is the state government's maritime coordinator, Andreas Burmester, a long-standing board member of the Kiel shipyard TKMS, among others.

Criticism from many sides

The whole procedure was widely criticised - and not just by the people who use the ferry to commute. Birte Pauls, the SPD MP responsible for the region, criticised: "The procedure surrounding the grinding ferry was a huge mistake from the outset. The whole back and forth has not only cost those affected a lot of nerves, but has also caused considerable economic damage." Von der Heide says: "We have to clearly identify mistakes. If it turns out that there is a claim for compensation, then we will pursue it."

The grinding ferry "Missunde III" is currently moored in Kappeln. But she is not supposed to stay there. Due to the current conditions there, someone has to go there every now and then to tighten the lines. That's why they want a quieter harbour for the "Missunde III". One option could be Olpenitz.