The First Ever RoRo Ferry Shipment of Baled Secondary Fuels from Germany has Arrived in Sweden

A newly signed contract between paper producer SCA and Geminor has led to the first ever export of baled, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) on RoRo ferries from Germany. The first shipment – which was completed successfully in early April – went from Kiel to Copenhagen Malmö Port in Sweden, and constitutes a milestone for German waste export.

The 100 tonnes of baled RDF was later transported to the Swedish SYSAV energy-from-waste (EfW) plant outside the city of Malmo. This marks the start of a two year and 20 000 tonnes contract with Geminor.

RoRo better than walking floor
Andreas Hefler (Photo: Geminor)

The SCA-owned RoRo ferries transport paper on so called cassettes from Sweden to the European continent. Instead of sailing empty on the return trip, the ferries will now load sorted and baled waste fuels from German waste producers. This is a far better option than walking floor transport, explains Country Manager for Geminor in Germany, Andreas Hefler.
The transport of baled RDF on cassettes is a more cost efficient and sustainable option, and leads to fewer trailers on the roads, lower emissions, less littering and less odour. Baling of RDF and SRF also makes transport by train possible.
We have for some time had success with shipments from UK to Sweden, which is why we are hoping to increase RoRo transport from Germany in the years to come, says Hefler.
Southern Germany has a surplus of quality waste and a huge potential for export. However, the German waste market lacks both routine and the baling equipment to prepare the waste for RoRo transport. We are at the moment assisting secondary fuel producers in the preparation process, and believe that the newly established route to Sweden will encourage more German waste producers to bale waste for export, says Andreas Hefler of Geminor in Germany.