Grinding wheel: 1.3 million euros for the conversion of the "Missunde III"

The chronology of the ferry fiasco on the Schlei:

• Ferry debacle: Petition launched to preserve the old grinding ferry "Missunde II"
• Update grinding wheel: Deployment of the new ferry only from winter 2025/26
• Grinding ferry update: 100,000 euros for the repurchase of the old ferry

In 2020, the LKN commissioned a new electric ferry for the Schlei. It should have started service last year. But instead, its predecessor was brought back from premature retirement. What had happened? The maths seemed so simple at the time: a conversion of the almost 20-year-old ferry "Missunde II" would have cost around 1.7 million euros. The cost estimate for the construction of a modern, solar-powered ferry was 2.5 million euros. The additional costs seemed worth it. But as is usually the case with cost estimates, the new ferry ended up costing 3.9 million euros. But it was also faster, more environmentally friendly and bigger. However, bigger was not necessarily better, as it turned out during the test runs. At higher wind speeds, safe mooring would no longer be possible, it had to be admitted. Both the new (too large) ferry and the jetty would have to be refitted. An estimated 1.3 million euros will now be added for the conversion.

Continued operation of the old ferry until 2049 more favourable

Despite "technical start-up problems", the state government is continuing to hold on to the (still) unserviceable sanding barge "Missunde III". "In recent months, we have intensively analysed and weighed up whether the continued operation of the 'Missunde II' and the sale of the 'Missunde III' would be an option," said State Secretary Tobias von der Heide (CDU). According to the state's calculations, the theoretical continued operation of "Missunde II" until 2049 would be around 375,000 euros cheaper than the operation of "Missunde III". In view of the risk of failure, possible new emission standards and for other climate policy reasons, the state nevertheless decided in favour of converting the "Missunde III". "The retrofit primarily involves the installation of transverse thrusters and additional batteries as well as modifications to the jetties," the Ministry of Economic Affairs told NDR.

Grinding wheel twice as expensive as originally estimated

The conversion costs would be covered by LKN reserves, it was said. If the estimate is correct this time, the grinding ferry will have cost around 5.3 million euros by the time it is finally commissioned. More than twice as much as the original cost estimate in the tender. The conversion of the ferry and the jetty is due to be completed in 2026. Until then, the old ferry "Missunde II" will continue to shuttle between Brodersby and Kosel, ferrying around 120,000 vehicles and around 50,000 bicycles.

Who is to blame for the faulty design

However, an ongoing legal dispute is intended to clarify who is responsible for the allegedly faulty design of the electrically powered "Missunde III". The SPD and SSW have criticised this. "We should be able to expect the Ministry of Economic Affairs to scrutinise its own mistakes critically and relentlessly in an honest investigation. Instead, problems are being glossed over while the costs continue to rise," explained SPD MP Birte Pauls. "1.3 million euros for a technical retrofit is simply too much money to spend in times of austerity budgets without a detailed debate in committee," said Sybilla Nitsch, transport policy spokesperson for the SSW parliamentary group in the state parliament.

Doubts about the success of the remodelling

The state government dispelled doubts from experts who had questioned whether a conversion would actually solve the problem: "All the scenarios with cross currents, cross wind currents and headwinds have been calculated. They clearly showed that we have mathematically recognised the problem and that we have the right solutions," the state government's maritime coordinator, Andreas Burmester, told NDR. The plans had also been discussed with various external engineers.