Minister Madsen meets CAPTN experts, city officias, learns about CAPTN WaterLink

Last week (March 5, 2025), members of the CAPTN initiative met with representatives of the City of Kiel and the Minister for Transport, Economy, and Technology, Claus Ruhe Madsen (CDU), aboard the Fjord Ferry Line F2. They presented their vision of an autonomous ferry that might soon cross the Schwentine River from Dietrichsdorf to Wellingdorf—connecting the HAW University’s campus with the Seefischmarkt. The working title of the project is CAPTN WaterLink, an idea originating from Kiel University of Applied Sciences (HAW).

“We are bringing together the expertise of all Kiel universities and numerous local companies for this project—that’s something special,” said HAW-President Prof. Dr. Björn Christensen. The fact that the participating institutions and businesses are now working together with the city and state to implement the project marks a significant success, he added.

Minister Madsen expressed particular enthusiasm about the upcoming launch of innovative mobility in the form of an autonomous ferry in Kiel. This, he said, is a “sunshine story” in times of otherwise rather gloomy news. The city is also actively driving this mobility transformation forward. “We are also addressing the skilled labor shortage with this project,” said Alke Voss (Green Party), City Councilor for Environment, Climate Protection, and Mobility.

The planned shuttle ferry will be approximately 12.5 meters long, fully electric, and capable of transporting around 35 passengers from the FH campus to the Seefischmarkt. Initially, onboard personnel will oversee the crossings. Test operations are set to begin in 2028. After an expected two-year trial phase, the battery-electric ferry—pending approval—will be permanently integrated into the ferry operations of Kiel’s ferry company SFK. This could lead to increased service frequency on route F2, Voss suggested.

Two docking stations and a charging station will need to be newly constructed. The city is expected to take on this responsibility. The concepts for these, as well as the design of the future ferry, are still in the planning phase.

(The poster displays a draft design for a possible closed ferry; design by Vincent Steinhart-Besser, William Hoier, and Detlef Rhein.)