Plugboats WAVES (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is a regular collection of electric boat and boating news items that we have written about before and are updating, or items we are going to write about but are waiting for more information / developments – or items that are just tidbits you might find interesting. Here is WaVeS #30, with electric boat and boating news about: Tenth electric ferry for British Columbia, Canada ePropulsion extends partnership with SailGP racing series Norway to get 20 Candela electric flying ferries Roxen starts serial production of personal watercraft A fully electric cruise ship concept unveiled Explomar supply electric propulsion for Nigeria ferry fleet Listen to this article as a podcast British Columbia, Canada, gets 10th electric hybrid ferry BC Ferries is the largest ferry operator in Canada, with 37 ships on 25 routes that move more than 22 million passengers and 8 million vehicles every year. Netherlands builder Damen constructs the operator’s Island Class electric hybrid ferries that provide services connecting the dozens of islands along Canada’s west coast in the province of British Columbia. The tenth vessel of the class, named ‘Island K’asa‘ has now been launched. The name means ‘otter’ in the Kwak’wala language of the Wei Wai Kum nation. It represents a guardian spirit and is a reminder of life’s interconnectedness. The Island Class ferries are equipped with batteries and diesel-hybrid technology. Some are now operating on diesel alone, some as hybrid. The end goal is to have all operate as full electric ferries once shoreside charging infrastructure becomes available. With a coastline of about 1,000 km (625 mi) covering everything from the metropolis of Vancouver to some of the most rugged outposts on the planet, this is a long term commitment and process. The ferries are designed to improve passenger comfort, reduce environmental impact and increase vehicle capacity by 71% and passenger capacity by 135% on the routes they serve. That’s an additional 200 spaces for vehicles and 2,000 spaces for passengers. Nicolas Jimenez, President and CEO of BC Ferries, said, “Launching the final Island Class vessel is an important step in renewing our fleet and strengthening service for coastal communities. Aging ships are replaced with these more spacious, modern, and efficient hybrids. That’s essential to keeping ferry service reliable for the people and communities who depend on it every day.” Damen website ePropulsion and SailGP extend partnership through 2027 Electric boat motor manufacturer ePropulsion and the SailGP international racing series have extended their partnership through to the end of the 2027 season. ePropulsion has supported SailGP’s on water operations since 2021 and will continue to provide the electric motors that power SailGP’s small craft and support vessels fleet, helping to reduce emissions across all championship operations as part of the championships’ broader climate goals and on-water transition plans. The renewed partnership builds on this strong foundation, further reducing emissions across event operations while demonstrating the reliability and performance of electric propulsion in demanding, real world conditions. Danny Tao, co-founder and chief executive at ePropulsion, said: “SailGP continues to set the standard for high-performance, purpose-driven sport, and we’re proud to be continuing our partnership. Working together has already delivered meaningful progress, and we’re excited to build on that momentum.” The 2026 SailGP campaign began on January 17 with the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix in Australia, and will run through the grand final in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on November 28 and 29. ePropulsion website SailGP website Norway operator purchases 20 Candela electric ‘flying ferries’ Boreal, one of Norway’s largest public transport provider has ordered twenty Candela P-12 electric hydrofoil vessels from Sweden’s Candela, marking the world’s largest electric fleet to date. Norway is the world’s most electrified car market, with around 99% of new car sales fully electric but electrifying high-speed passenger vessels is challenging. Conventional e-ferries lack the range and speed to replace the diesel-powered fast ferries that connecting communities across the country’s deep fjords and more than 100,000 kilometers of coastline. The Candela P-12 hydrofoiling technology solves this. Computer-controlled hydrofoils—wings mounted beneath the hull—lift the vessel above the water when the ferry’s speed is over18 knots. By flying above the waves, drag is drastically reduced, and energy consumption drops by around 80 percent compared with conventional vessels of similar size. The ride is also extremely stable for passengers. The P-12 combines a cruising speed of 25 knots with a range of around 40 nautical miles, enabling electric operation on routes previously only served by diesel vessels. All of this with cabin noise levels of just 64 dB—lower than other ferries, modern trains or aircraft. Another advantage (see the item about BC hybrid ferries above) is that the P-12 can fully recharge in an hour using standard DC car fast chargers, avoiding the expensive megawatt-scale charging systems required by conventional electric ferries. The capability was recently demonstrated during a voyage between Sweden and Norway, when the P-12 completed the longest electric sea journey to date, recharging along the route using a mobile battery system transported by a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup. Read: Candela sets hydrofoiling record with Baltic Sea crossing “Candela P-12 is the only electric passenger vessel that combines longer range with high speed without requiring extensive charging infrastructure says Nikolai Knudsmoen Utheim, CEO at Boreal. “With this fleet, Boreal wants to take the next step—accelerating zero-emission high-speed travel along the Norwegian coast and helping bring electric vessels to new markets beyond Norway.” The first two P-12 vessels will be delivered in 2027 and are planned to enter service on one of several potential routes currently being explored in Norway and abroad. The remaining vessels will follow in yearly batches between 2028 and 2030. Candela website Roxen electric watercraft now in serial production Sweden’s Roxen Innovations has announced that their electric personal watercraft is officially in serial production, marking a major milestone for the company and for lightweight electric water mobility. CE-Marking (CE = Conformité Européenne) of the battery was completed in 2025, showing that it complies with EU safety, health, and environmental protection standards. The past few months have been spent working through the rest of the recreational craft directive certification process that governs the safety, build quality, and compliance standards required to sell watercraft across Europe. The company says the 2026 production plan is set to 200 units, with 40 units already having been secured through pre-orders ahead of production start. Remaining 2026 orders will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, ensuring controlled growth while maintaining production quality. The hull of the Roxen electric watercraft weighs only 60 kg (LB), light enough to load onto a roof rack and be launched from any shoreline. It has a 22 kW (≈ 30 hp) electric motor that can deliver speeds of up to 30 knots (55 kph / 35 mph), and a 5.25 kWh swappable battery pack. “With investments secured and production now underway, we are entering the next phase of our journey,” says Co-Founder and CEO Magnus Sundstedt. “The interest we are seeing confirms that the market is ready for a lighter and smarter electric alternative.” Customers interested in securing a 2026 delivery slot should visit the Roxen website. Roxen website Fully Electric Cruise Ship Meyer Werft, one of the largest shipyards in the world, has built 61 huge cruise over the past few decades for companies like Disney and Carnival. At the recent Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, the company presented its concept study for a fully electric cruise ship under the project name ‘Vision.’ The ship is 275 metres (900 feet) long and accommodates 1,856 passengers. It is set to be the world’s first fully electric cruise ship with a Gross Tonnage (GT) exceeding 82,000. (GT is the measure of a ship’s total calculated size). The battery system will be supplied by Corvus Energy. No details have been shared about capacity of the battery system or the exact range of the concept, but it is expected to be sufficient for the majority of typical European cruise routes, such as the journey from Barcelona to Civitavecchia near Rome – about 600 Nm (1,110 km / 690 mi). Meyer Werft is optimistic about charging infrastructure. “By 2030, around one hundred ports across Europe will offer the required charging infrastructure,” the company states. For longer distances, the ‘Vision’ can optionally be realized as a hybrid variant with small generators, for example, for transatlantic crossings. Cruise ships burn extraordinary amounts of fossil fuel and put enormous amounts of CO2 into our atmosphere, and Tim Krug from the Meyer Werft Concept Development Group said “Vision enables a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of up to 95%.” The benefits of battery electric propulsion go beyond the environmental, though. The sun deck can have views unobstructed by the usual smokestack (funnel) and shaft for exhaust gas treatment. For shipboard comfort, there is much less noise and vibration. “We asked ourselves how we can use innovation to reduce CO₂ and contribute to decarbonization — not in 50 years, but much sooner” said Krug. “The technology is available today and we could deliver the first ship in 2031 if it were ordered this year.” Meyer Werft Press Re
