Fewer ferry departures threaten Femø’s future, residents fear

Residents of the Danish island of Femø fear that proposed cuts to ferry services could drive away tourists, workers and potential newcomers, DR reports. Lolland Municipality plans to reduce services to Femø and Askø from seven to four daily sailings as part of budget savings.

Louise Mia Povlsen lives on Femø with her partner, Hans Jakob Varming, and their two children. The family faces a journey of about an hour and a half between their home and Maribo on Lolland, where their children attend school and nursery.

Louise moved from Copenhagen to Femø with Hans Jakob nine years ago. The couple had hoped more children would move to the island, where their own children know everyone and can cycle around independently.

However, their journey to school and nursery could soon become more difficult. Lolland Municipality, which operates ferry services to the three small islands of Fejø, Askø and Femø in the waters around Lolland, Falster and Zealand, is considering cutting one ferry and using two vessels instead of three.

The change is expected to save up to 10 million kroner a year. Residents of Femø and Askø would have four daily sailings instead of seven, while Fejø would see its service reduced from 19 to 17 daily round trips.

“We are in a situation where the municipality has to adapt its facilities and finances. Therefore, based on passenger numbers, we have to look at what is necessary,” said Henrik Jacobsen, a Conservative member who chairs Lolland Municipality’s Climate, Technical and Environmental Committee.

The proposal is based on an analysis of the municipality’s ferry operations by consulting firm COWI and is now being considered in a public consultation.

Jens Westerskov Andersen, a PhD student at Lund University who researches Denmark’s small islands, described the planned reduction as a dangerous path.

“It is a change to the ferry schedules and service level that could have very, very serious consequences, both for the people who live there now and for those who may want the opportunity to build a life on the islands in the future,” he said.

Andersen called it the most radical municipal plan of its kind ever proposed in Denmark. He said it was the first time, to his knowledge, that a Danish municipality responsible for small islands had considered such significant ferry cuts to save money.

“In principle, it is a passive depopulation policy. It is not intended to make people move away or prevent fewer people from moving there in the future. But that could very well be the result,” he said.

The Femøsund ferry would in future serve both Femø and Askø. Its journey to Femø would also be extended to 55 minutes to save fuel.

Pia Christensen, who was born and raised on Femø, has owned and run Femø Kro for the past 37 years. She remembers when ferries operated at fixed two-hour intervals to and from the island.

Christensen said the ferry, the local shop and the inn were all essential to attracting tourists. She fears the proposed service would make it difficult to retain staff travelling from Lolland and bring visitors to the island because the remaining ferries would be fully booked.

“You cannot measure it that way. You also have to look at the tax revenue generated when an island is thriving. That should have been examined in the report,” she said.

Christensen also fears that discussion of the ferry cuts could discourage both tourists and people considering moving to Femø.

Femø currently has 107 residents, far fewer than it had 50 or 100 years ago. Andersen said the decline was not unique to Femø, as small island communities across Denmark have become smaller over the past century.