Electric Vessels News

VULKAN UK has provided the electrical design expertise and power profiles that enables the Silver Raven, the UK’s first fully electric sightseeing vessel, to begin operation in autumn 2025.Commissioned by Woods Tours, designed by One2Three Naval Architects, and built at Pendennis Shipyard in Cornwall, the 39-meter Silver Raven will carry up to 250 passengers per voyage. The vessel will navigate London’s central waterways, demonstrating that large-scale passenger operations can…

Denmark’s, and Svitzer’s, first electric tugboat was named by Her Majesty Queen Mary at a ceremony in Copenhagen.The new tugboat will carry the name Svitzer Ingrid, as announced by Her Majesty during the naming ceremony, which was attended by more than 100 executives from the Danish maritime industry. Svitzer Ingrid has a battery capacity equivalent to that of 23 modern electric cars and can perform most tasks using electricity, thereby reducing annual CO₂ emissions by 600 to 900 tons.Svitzer operates a fleet of over 450 tugboats…

SAAM, the largest towage operator in the Americas, has introduced Trapananda, the first fully electric tugboat in Latin America, developed in partnership with Chile’s national oil company Enap. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL), built by Sanmar Shipyards, and powered by a Corvus Energy lithium-ion battery system, the tug will operate at Puerto Chacabuco in southern Chile.Measuring 25m with a 70-ton bollard pull, Trapananda will assist vessel maneuvers under challenging harbor conditions.

The Trust for Governors Island unveiled its new hybrid-electric ferry, the Harbor Charger, the first of its kind in New York State and aa addition to the Trust’s existing ferry fleet. The arrival of the new boat coincides with the 20-year anniversary of Governors Island opening to the public, as well as major recent progress in its development as a leading destination for climate research and education—marking a significant milestone in its transformation. The Harbor Charger was…

Photon Marine, a developer of high-performance electric outboard propulsion systems, and Silverback Marine, a builder of commercial aluminum vessels, announced that eight electric workboat configurations have been approved for funding through California Air Resources Board (CARB) Clean Off-Road Equipment (CORE) Voucher Program. This marks the first inclusion of an electric outboard motor in the program.Starting in August, commercial fleet operators across California—including ports…

On July 10, 2025, the electric solar passenger ship "Insel Mainau," designed and built by Ampereship GmbH, completed a range test on Lake Constance. During a 19-hour continuous journey, the all-electric catamaran covered exactly 211.3 kilometers on the lake, with a remaining battery capacity of 20 percent. The ship was back in regular operation the very next day.The 300-kilometers mark would have been possible in a test designed exclusively for range. Another record journey is…

International tugboat operator Svitzer has taken delivery of its first fully electric tug, built by Turksih shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyars..The SANMAR ElectRA 2500SX is based on a design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.The new tug has an overall length of 25.4 m, with a 12.86 m beam and 5.40 m draft. It has a battery capacity of 1,808 kWh, Fi-Fi1 fire-fighting capability, and can achieve a bollard pull of 70 tons.ElectRA Series tugs are the first of a new generation of eco-friendly tugs from Sanmar…

Scotland’s largest maritime decarbonization project is now live at the Port of Aberdeen, providing green shore power for vessels at eight berths in the port’s North Harbour.The concept of shore power is simple: allowing vessels to plug directly into power from the port’s renewable energy tariff, instead of running on their own fossil fuel auxiliary engines while at berth, saving on fuel and cutting CO2 emissions, pollution, and noise.For Port of Aberdeen, a Trust Port at the heart of the community with ambitions to be the UK’s first port to achieve net zero by 2040…

As EV-related fires continue to challenge the maritime industry, with incidents like the Morning Midas blaze in the North Pacific, operators are seeking more effective solutions. A new brine-based firefighting system, developed by Skansi Offshore in close cooperation with KNUD E. HANSEN, now offers a simple, robust and environmentally responsible answer.The system is operational aboard Norrøna, sailing the world’s longest RoPAX route, and is scheduled for installation on two new RoRo vessels under construction.Unlike traditional fire suppression methods…

EV Maritime, New Zealand’s leading electric ferry design and technology company, announced the launch of its first fully electric passenger ferry. The new vessel will operate between downtown Auckland and the suburb of Half Moon Bay.This is the first of the EVM200 class,a series of battery-electric fast ferries built using lightweight carbon fiber. Designed for urban public transport, the EVM200 offers service speeds of up to 25 knots and a range of up to 20 miles.Developed with support from the New Zealand Government…

NetZero Renewable Solutions and CT Marine have announced the launch of the CT70, a next-generation, fully electric pushboat purpose-built for the unique demands of U.S. inland waterways. Designed with crew safety, operational performance, and environmental at its core, the CT70 delivers up to 90% fewer emissions and 65% lower maintenance costs compared to traditional diesel vessels.At the heart of each CT70 is a 5MWh containerized, swappable battery system, providing up to 12 hours of continuous operation.

In a first-of-its-kind intercontinental journey, a crew has piloted the Candela C-8 “flying” electric boat across the Strait of Gibraltar.The Candela C-8 completed the 24-nautical mile trip from Sotogrande, Spain, to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, in just over an hour, matching the speed of conventional fast ferries.

Aqua superPower unveiled its bidirectional charging technology at the University of Plymouth, marking their demonstration debut of Virtual Bunkering for Electric Vessels (VBEV). This pioneering showcase represented an important step towards the wide scale adoption of electric boats, supported by Vessel-to-Grid infrastructure.Bidirectional charging not only enables electric boats to charge efficiently but also allows boat owners to discharge their batteries and return surplus energy to the grid when the boats are not in use.

Incat Hull 096 – the world’s largest battery-electric ship – has been officially launched in Tasmania, Australia.Built for South American ferry operator Buquebus, the 130-meter ferry will enter enters service between Buenos Aires and Uruguay, operating entirely on battery-electric power, carrying up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles across the River Plate.The ship is the ninth Incat-built vessel for Buquebus.The ship is equipped with over 250 tonnes of batteries and an Energy Storage System (ESS) boasting more than 40 megawatt-hours of installed capacity.

Union members at General Dynamics Electric Boat unit voted to authorize a strike, the United Auto Workers said on Tuesday.The move comes amid an ongoing labor dispute post the expiration of the members' contract on April 4 at Electric Boat, a part of the defense contractor's marine systems segment, which assembles nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S.

Digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther and US shipbuilder Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) have been selected by San Francisco’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) to design and deliver two new electric ferries for San Francisco Bay Ferry.The commission adds to Incat Crowther’s growing portfolio of bespoke, low and zero-emission ferry designs for public transport operators around the world.The new ferries will be capable of transporting 400 passengers and 60 bicycles…

Wilhelmsen Port Services has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Yinson GreenTech and R W Marine Services, accelerating the adoption of marine electrification and lower-emissions maritime transport in Singapore. The signing ceremony took place on March 26, 2025 aboard the Hydromover, Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel, during Singapore Maritime Week, held March 24-28, 2025.Under this agreement, Yinson GreenTech will provide its electric vessels and digital solutions to R W Marine Services, who will oversee leasing and electric fleet management.

The first electric tugboat in Latin America, which will operate in Chile thanks to an agreement between Enap and SAAM Towage, continues to advance with the latest sea trials and bollard pull testing at the shipyard vicinity in Tuzla Bay, Istanbul.This process inspects compliance with technical specifications and verifies the static behavior and performance of the different systems installed, thus guaranteeing safe operations.The tug, which will operate for Enap, is scheduled to arrive in Chile in the first half of 2025.

AET, a member of the MISC Group and owner and operator of maritime transportation assets, has signed an agreement with Fleetzero, a supplier of modular marine batteries for hybrid and electric ships, for the development of the world’s longest-range plug-in hybrid-electric vessel.Under the agreement, one of AET's Lightering Support Vessels (LSV)  will be retrofitted with a plug-in hybrid-electric system.The vessel will operate primarily on battery power, reducing greenhouse gas…