As destinations around the world search for cleaner forms of energy, there has been an increase in the use of electric transit options, including ferries.
According to Condé Nast, the travel sector accounts for approximately a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions annually, with ships alone responsible for nearly three percent of this. As a result, there has been an uptake in the use of electric ferry technology in several destinations.
Besides reducing pollution, the electric ferries provide other benefits, like easing congestion on roads and existing transport routes and making transit faster and more direct. The ferries also provide scenic views for travellers, with the waterborne routes potentially offering a solution to overtourism by encouraging visitors to explore less-visited areas.
Some developments in the use of this new technology include:
- Sweden will begin testing the 30-passenger Candela P-12 shuttle in summer this year. The hydrofoil ferry service is then expected to launch next spring and will provide services between Stockholm and its suburbs.
- Denmark began services with its e-ferry Ellen in 2019. It currently transports cars and up to 200 passengers between the Danish islands of Ærø and Als.
- Norway currently operates more than 50 electric ferries, including the 350-passenger MF Ampere, which launched in 2015, and the 600-passenger Bastø Electric, which services Norway’s busiest ferry route across the Oslo Fjord.
- Northern Ireland is preparing to pilot its high-speed hydrofoil e-ferry in 2024.
- Lisbon recently received the first of 10 electric ferries in March.
- Croatia will offer island-hopping from Split via e-ferry by next year.
- In Asia, Bangkok has ordered 30 new electric ferries, while Kochi, India, and its surrounding islands will be serviced by 78 electric vessels, the first of which launched in 2022.
- In the United States, several popular tourist ferries have gone electric, including those that service Alcatraz Island and New York’s Niagara Falls.
