First completely electric fast ferry in the world

The project partners of the EU-funded TrAM project, Horizon 2020, will develop a fast, zero-emission ferry to transport passengers. The project is led by Kolumbus and Rogaland County Council, Norway.

A zero-emission electric high-speed passenger ferry is currently being built in Norway. The ferry will travel at an average speed of 23 knots and will be able to carry 45 passengers and 20 bicycles. Kolumbus, the public transportation company and Rogaland County Council are the project leaders. The passenger vessel will run between Hommersåk and Stavanger and will have several intermediate stations where the ferry will stop at the passenger’s request. Construction of the ferry, the first of its kind in Norway and probably in the world, will be completed in 2022.

With this ferry, zero-emission solutions for ferries are put in use in the fast boat market. It is planned that after the completion of construction, the lessons learned from the project will be used to support building of identical or similar vessels in Europe.

Ferry production will be modular. Modular construction is a new method of vessel construction that contributes to a 25 percent reduction in production costs and 70 percent lower engineering costs. Rogaland County Council stated the project is revolutionary in terms of zero-emission technology and production methods. Thus, the ferry will contribute to the competitiveness of high-speed electric-powered vessels in both cost and environmentally friendly solutions.

The project will also carry out two studies for the same type of vessel on the River Thames in London and canals in Belgium. The purpose of the studies is to explore the possibility of introducing similar zero-emission vessels in those environments. This will pave the way for environmentally friendly ships with lower prices on other European waterways as well.

You can read and listen to more at: https://tramproject.eu/2020/06/24/ensuring-efficiency-and-safety-in-electric-vessels/