Fully electric fast ferry first

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Construction has commenced on what’s claimed to be the world’s first fully electric passenger fast ferry at the Fjellstrand shipyard on the west coast of Norway.

Artist’s impression of the fully electric, zero-emission fast ferry 'Medstraum' (Image: Kolumbus/NCE Maritime Cleantech)

Equipped to carry around 150 passengers, the catamaran vessel will be 31 metres long with a nine-metre beam. It will be equipped with two electric motors and a 1.5MWh capacity battery with charging power of more than 2MW. This will be the world’s first fully electric and zero-emission fast ferry classed in accordance with the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Crafts (HSC Code). As the TrAM project’s demonstrator vessel, it will begin a trial passenger service between the city of Stavanger and surrounding communities and islands in spring 2022 to test and validate the project findings. The vessel has been designed for a service speed of 23 knots and has been named Medstraum (literally ‘with electricity’ and ‘co-current‘ in Norwegian).

The TrAM project was initiated by industry cluster organization NCE Maritime CleanTech and is being coordinated by Kolumbus, the independent mobility services arm of Rogaland County Council. “TrAM’s overall aim is to develop new modular methods for the design and production of zero-emission fast ferries for inshore passenger transport, in order to reduce investment costs and delivery time,” said project manager Mikal Dahle of Kolumbus.

The zero-emission aspect is the main driver for Kolumbus as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce the footprint of its public transport assets. Rogaland County Council has itself committed EUR 6.8m in co-funding for the vessel. “Rogaland County Council has a strategy to drastically lower emissions for all ferry routes. The TrAM project showcases what is possible for future public transport – with no noise or emissions to the environment”, said Rogaland County mayor Marianne Chesak.

The TrAM project scope also includes the development of two further sisterships, one for passenger operations on the River Thames in London and the other for deployment on inland waterways in Belgium.

Using advanced modularisation, the project aims to lower production costs and engineering hours for electric fast ferries by 25% and 70%, respectively, which will significantly enhance their competitiveness.

The TrAM project started in 2018 and has secured EUR 11.7m in financing from the European Union’s Horizon2020 research and innovation programme, one of the largest amounts ever awarded to a single project. The project has also received funding for dissemination activities from the Research Council of Norway.

By Jake Frith