Latest news with #electricferries
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Danish operator orders two electric ferries from Incat amid plans to expand the Tasmanian company
Tasmania-based shipbuilder Incat has been commissioned to design and build two new electric ferries for Danish operator Molslinjen, to run on one of Europe's busiest routes. Incat said the order for the two 129-metre, 45-megawatt vessels formed the largest individual export contract for a manufactured good in Tasmania's history. The cost of the ferries has not be disclosed. Each ferry will each carry up to 1,483 passengers and 500 cars, and will operate at speeds over of 40 knots across the Kattegat Sea between Jutland and Zealand in Denmark. Incat founder and chairman Robert Clifford said the order marked "a turning point not just for Incat but the for the global maritime industry". "This project aligns perfectly with our strategic vision. "As global demand for sustainable ferries accelerates, our expanded facilities will ensure we're ready to lead the way in both innovation and volume." Incat plans to expand its production facilities in Hobart's Prince of Wales Bay, as well as build a new facility further up the Derwent River. It aims to double its production capacity and workforce over the next three years. The Hobart-based company was established in 1977, and has since become an industry leader in building lightweight catamarans. More recently, it has branched out into electric passenger ferries. Incat managing director Craig Clifford, who also serves as the honorary consul for Denmark in Tasmania, said the partnership reflected "a shared commitment to the green transition". The order follows the launch in May of Incat's latest vessel HSC China Zorrilla — the world's largest electric vehicle. Launched in May, the ferry — also known as Hull 096 — has the largest electric battery ever installed on a ship, and will run on a roughly 55-kilometre route across the Rio de la Plata for operator Buquebus, between the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires and Montevideo in Uruguay. The ferry has the capacity to carry over 2,000 passengers and is equipped with more than 5,000 battery modules stacked together, weighing a total of 280 tonnes and delivering 43-megawatt hours. It was described as the "future of sea shipping" by Mr Clifford, and a milestone in the industry's bid to decarbonise. Electric maritime vessels are dependent on short journeys and ports with adequate charging infrastructure and renewable energy resources. To address the lack of charging infrastructure globally, Incat is also building a diesel-electric hybrid ferry which will be designed so that it can be retrofitted to become fully electric. Mr Clifford told ABC Breakfast he anticipated demand for electric ferries to grow. "There's not the slightest doubt that 1,000 ships are needed in the very near future, electric ships, to replace the fossil fuel ships — no question of that," he said. "We can do it in Tasmania; it won't be without challenges. Mr Clifford said the Hobart shipbuilder was uniquely placed to meet demand for large electric ferries compared to other international major shipbuilders due to his team's specialisation in working with aluminium. "Aluminium and electricity go together because … a lightweight ship takes a lot less power and electricity is in scarce supply at all the ports." "So, the ship that takes the least electricity will get the orders. "We should be able to bring out at least four ships a year," Mr Clifford said. Incat said early-stage construction of the two new ferries would begin in the coming months, and it aimed to deliver them in late 2027.
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Incat signs deal to build two electric ferries bound for Denmark
Incat has just signed the biggest contract in the company's history, according to founder and chair Robert Clifford, for two electric ferries bound for Denmark. The ships are 129-metres long and hold approximately 500 cars and 1,400 passengers each. Speaking on Hobart Breakfast, Clifford claims that the need for electric vehicles will continue to grow, and while building them in Tasmania will be possible, it will require training more people. "There's very very few people in the world that have the skill to build aluminium ships. ... The expertise in the major shipyards is just not there. "No doubt we can do it here. There will be limits ... but we certainly can build up to multiple numbers, five to ten times larger than we are today." Incat is currently building electric ferries at Prince of Wales Bay, but are planning new facilities at Sorell Creek where they hope to build four ships per year.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario's electric ferries are still running on diesel, and costs are adding up
For years, different Ontario governments have used the electric ferries for Wolfe and Amherst islands as evidence the province is leading by example in the battle against climate change — but both vessels are still being powered by diesel fuel. The two boats have been serving their communities near the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River since last summer. However, charging infrastructure has yet to be fully installed. Mark Sibley, a member of local environmental group 350 Kingston, said he was elated in 2018 when the province first announced the ferries would be electric. He summed up his reaction to the ongoing use of diesel in one word: "Disappointed." "Let's get on with it," he said. "The time has passed that they should have been electrified." Invoices obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request provide a snapshot showing the boats have burned hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel, with monthly costs to taxpayers ranging between $150,000 and more than $200,000 for each ferry. While the Amherst Islander II (AI2) has experimented with intermittent charging, it may take until 2027 for the Wolfe Islander IV (WI4) to go fully electric as construction on its docks drags on, according to Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Invoices show fuel consumption, costs Receipts from MTO show that between mid-August when the WI4 started officially carrying passengers, and early December 2024 when it was damaged and taken out of service, the ferry consumed 463,655 litres of diesel fuel. Over that period, the bills added up to a total of $683,366. Only invoices for December 2024 were provided for the AI2, but they show the boat used 146,685 litres of fuel at a cost of $213,432 during that period. CBC also requested electric receipts, but according to the FOI response dated June 2, "no records exist pertaining to electricity costs." As of that point, the ministry had "not yet used shore-based electricity to power these vessels," it read. The Amherst Islander II is operated by Loyalist Township, which typically covers 10 per cent of the costs through user fees, while MTO picks up the rest of the tab. However, Deputy Mayor Nathan Townend said the ministry has been covering 100 per cent of the fuel costs since the AI2 arrived. He said residents are thankful for provincial investments including an air-conditioned terminal and washrooms built on the new dock to service the ferry. Townend said he hopes it will be fully electric "very shortly." "The purpose of these boats is to be electric boats, and to help Ontario meet its climate targets," he said. "We will get there." Sibley said he recognizes the ferries have faced obstacles, but he believes continuing to run Ontario's so-called electric boats on diesel signifies a failure to meet the challenge of climate change. "We're in a climate crisis that demands urgency," he said. "It's symptomatic of governments that are not moving with sufficient speed and scale." Like taking 1,375 cars off the road A March 2018 news release from MTO announced the province was "Fighting Climate Change with New, Clean Ferries," with Ontario ponying up $94 million and the Canadian government forking over more than $31 million. Residents will "soon be able to ride a ferry that is completely powered by electricity," read a quote attributed to then-minister of transportation Kathryn McGarry. Ontario's Marine Transportation Strategy, introduced by current Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria roughly five years later, continued to highlight the boats as an example of Ontario "Greening Marine Transportation." "Those electric ferries are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide per year compared to conventional diesel ferries, the equivalent of taking 1,357 cars off the road," it read. An MTO spokesperson said Sarkaria wasn't available for an interview about the continued use of diesel. In a statement sent by email, Julia Caslin wrote charging infrastructure for the AI2 is functional and being used intermittently, with testing ongoing before it can become fully operational in electric mode. Neither MTO nor staff with Loyalist Township specified how many times the ferry had so far run on electric power alone. The ministry said the WI4 is operating in hybrid mode, which uses diesel generators to charge the batteries that power the boat. That approach is expected to continue until charging infrastructure is completely installed on shore, with fall or winter 2025/26 targeted for the Wolfe Island side and 2026/27 for the Kingston dock, according to MTO. MPP says going electric could add speed Kingston and the Island MPP Ted Hsu recently met with ministry staff and said it's his understanding the WI4 won't be able to run full-speed until both charging stations are set up, meaning islanders will continue to wait longer than they otherwise might. "The hope is that we would go back to the original 60-minute schedule from the 80-minute schedule that we have now, once all of the electric charging and automatic mooring infrastructure is built and running," Hsu explained. The Liberal MPP said while the provincial government seems focused on building highways around Toronto, he's been pressuring officials to remember the ferries. He added he wants to see the boats succeed because he believes electric power — not fossil fuels — is the future. "It's cheaper to run and there should be less maintenance in the long run because it's electric, but ... in the meantime ... if it's $150,000-$200,000 a month, that's an extra cost that we're incurring."
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High costs may force WA ferry electrification program off course
Washington State Ferries said it would deploy its new electric ferries first on the Mukilteo-Clinton run. The short route is currently served by diesel ferries like the Tokitae, seen here approaching Whidbey Island. (Photo by Tom Banse) Washington aspires for its largest-in-the-nation fleet of passenger ferries to operate reliably and emission-free by 2050. To get there, the plan is to convert six existing vessels to hybrid-electric power, build 16 new plug-in boats, and add shore charging to 16 terminals — all by 2040. But only one conversion is done. And neither new vessels nor electrified terminals are expected to be operational before the end of the decade. With projects taking longer and costing more than expected, achieving the ambitious mid-century goal for the ferry system looks increasingly unattainable. 'We can't do everything we want to do. We can't buy everything we want to buy, so let's talk about the priorities,' said Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, chair of the state House Transportation Committee, ahead of a work session Tuesday on where things stand in the ferry agency's pursuit of electrification. Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, the lead Republican on the committee, agreed after the meeting. 'We need to sit down and review this whole thing — how we're doing this, why we're doing this — for the next 20 years for Washington State Ferries,' he said. Conversion of the Wenatchee, a Jumbo Mark II-class vessel with a 202-car capacity, is done and it returns to service Thursday, a year later than expected. Its $133 million cost is much more than originally budgeted. Planned conversions of two other boats are on hold indefinitely. A week ago, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced he'd accepted Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group's bid to build three new hybrid electric ferries. The first one — at a total cost of about $405 million — is expected to be delivered in about five years. The large price tags and long timelines are stirring conversations among lawmakers and with the governor on how they can erase Washington State Ferries' carbon wake, given limited resources and high demand for service. 'The path from here to there is going to be a little more unpredictable and bumpy, but we're going to get there,' said Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. 'We're headed in the right direction.' Liias said he's ready to focus on procuring new boats and using cleaner, renewable diesel to fuel existing ones, and pause converting existing boats to electric power for the time being. A new boat will be in use for 60 years while a converted one gains an estimated 25 years of service, he said. Adding new vessels and switching the entire fleet to cleaner-burning diesel could get the state to 90% of its emission reduction goal by 2050, he postulated. 'We need to be more eyes wide open after what we've seen with the Wenatchee,' he said. 'We want to see cleaner air, but we can't write a blank check.' The cost-benefit of converting the jumbo ferry came up late in Tuesday's work session State ferry officials estimated $96 million of the $133 million total could be viewed as directly related to changing the vessel to a hybrid-electric. Though the amount would be less when factoring in savings from buying less diesel fuel when operating on battery power, they said. Rep. Adam Bernbaum, D-Port Angeles, vice chair of the transportation committee, wanted to know what amount of greenhouse gas emission reduction would be achieved. State ferry officials didn't have an immediate answer. 'From a cost perspective, is this an efficient or good use of the state's money? To me, it seems pretty expensive,' he said. 'I would hope that there would be quite significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions if we're going to continue down this path.' Executive orders issued by former Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in 2018 and 2020 are steering Washington State Ferries' transition to an emission-free fleet. There's also a separate state law requiring state agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2040 and to be at net zero a decade later. In 2020, the ferry agency published its System Electrification Plan. It carried an estimated cost of $4 billion, but that figure is 'outdated,' David Sowers, who oversees the electrification program, told House members. 'It doesn't reflect the current bidding climate,' and other costs like tariffs, he said. So far, the agency has secured $1.68 billion. After the meeting, Bernbaum said his questions regarding the conversion were to better understand 'what we are actually paying for' in the push to carry out the electrification program. If the goal is protecting the planet from the effects of climate change, and there is $80 million to spend, is it better spent on converting one ferry or on a utility-scale solar or wind farm?' he said. 'We should be aspiring to get to net zero. But we should be spending those dollars in a wise way and that means not being absolutist,' he said. 'I think we're in a nice reflection point when we're starting to get the data back and it gives us an opportunity to reflect and think about if this is the best path forward.'
CTV News
26-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Federal bank loaning $1B for BC Ferries to buy Chinese-made ships
The BC Ferries vessel Island Nagalis, an island-class ferry used to service Quadra Island, arrives in Campbell River, B.C., Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck A federal Crown corporation is loaning BC Ferries $1 billion to help buy four Chinese-made ferries, a purchase that federal transport minister Chrystia Freeland recently said was dismaying and should involve no federal funds. Canada Infrastructure Bank confirmed the loan on Thursday, saying the new electric ferries 'wouldn't likely be purchased' without the financing. It says the low-cost loan consists of up to $690 million to buy the vessels and up to $310 million for electrification infrastructure. Freeland wrote to the province on June 16, asking B.C. to confirm 'with utmost certainty' that no federal funds would be 'diverted' to the purchase from China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards. Jeff Groot, executive director of communications for BC Ferries, says in an interview that BC Ferries signed the agreement with the bank before Freeland's letter to her provincial counterpart, Mike Farnworth. BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez says in a news release that the full loan would result in expected savings of about $650 million in interest. --- This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published June 26, 2025.
