Electric Fast Ferries

New design for Electric fast Ferries has been revealed:
Austal Australia introduces VOLTA series of electric-powered high-speed ferries - Offshore Energy.

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Are the Hydrofoils returning? This time in an electric version:

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Commuter ferry in London:

Commuter ferry in Auckland:

Western and Northern Norway has a lot of fast ferries and need for even more.
Today these are nearly all catamaran type and all are diesel driven.
The next generation will have to be zero emission and the hunt is on for the best solution.
Here is 4 short listed candidates:


These four designs for environmentally friendly speedboats advance in the competition. Suppliers are LMG Marin and SES-X (top left), Transportutvikling and ESNA (bottom left). PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: TROMS AND FINNMARK COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES

The suppliers are investing in battery-electric speedboats with different hull designs: single hull, catamaran and trimaran, according to a press release from Vestland County Municipality.
The ambition is to use the innovative design and technology solutions as a template in future speedboat purchases, where up to three vessels will be built and tested.
We see that there is a big technological leap before we have the new speedboats in place in the county municipal transport along our coast. It will require additional support from the state to build the boats. At the same time, this project is a “kinder egg”, where we get business development, climate benefits and better transport,
Source: smp.no

Another claim of World’s First:

They may not know of the one in NZ, or that is not regarded as Fast Ferry at a speed of only 19n kts.

PS> Earlier electric catamarans built in Norway have been Sight Seeing boats, not ferries.
Except the Rygerelectra, with a service speed of 18 kts. She was delivered in 2020:

Things are happening on the electrification of the Fast Ferries in Norway:

There are also progress on hydrogen-electric powered Fast Ferries, with 3 builders bidding for the first contract.
From Tradewinds (behind paywall):

Br.AA has their design ready to go;
https://www.theexplorer.no/solutions/hydrogen-fast-ferry-for-zero-emission-passenger-transport/#:~:text=Hydrogen-powered%2C%20high-speed,output%20of%202%20600%20kW.

As has the TECO 2030 / UMEO Mandal /BLOM Maritime consortium:

Electric fast ferry Medstraum on video and in service:

They are coming fast and furious:

Here is the competitor:

And the world’s first large-scale hydrogen-powered catamaran:

Not so fast, but fully electric:

Shell Singapore is going green.
From early 2023, Electric Dream ferries will ply between Singapore’s Pasir Panjang ferry terminal and Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park on the southern island of Pulau Bukom.

An earlier article about Incat’s plan for an electric ferry development:


The 2020 built RYGERELE KTRA moored in Stavanger The 297 passenger all-electric ferry powered by 2x Ramme 375 kW Electric driving each a Servogear Ecoflow CPP measures 42 meters in length and is capable of 23 knots – a world record for the fastest all-electric passenger catamaran. At full passenger capacity, she will have an operational range of 40 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.
Photo: Jan de Bokx Compass Marine Services (c)

Hydrofoils to make a comeback?:

A large leap in size from existing electric fast ferries: