Ampereship, Ostseestaal to build fully electric ferry for Helgoland

January 16, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

German shipbuilder Ampereship and its affiliate Ostseestaal have been commissioned by the country’s offshore island Helgoland to develop and build an all-electric ferry.

As informed, the fully electric passenger ferry will connect the main island with the Düne island.

Set to replace the Witte Kliff ferry, a conventional marine fuel-powered vessel in operation since 1997, the newbuild will feature a length of 15.2 meters and a width of 5.6 meters. It will be capable of accommodating up to 95 passengers.

The new ferry will be equipped with a 1,175 kWh battery bank and a propulsion power of 2×125 kW.

“Our zero-emission Ampereship concept stood out as the best technical solution, and we are proud to contribute to sustainable and innovative mobility on Helgoland,” Ampereship said.

“With the ferry for Heligoland, we are realising another project for the use of zero-emission electric solar ships on the German coast,” Dirk Zademack, General Manager of Ampereship, commented.

Ampereship and Ostseesaal have so far completed a total of 22 electric solar-powered ships. The newly announced ferry contract is said to be the companies’ 23rd shipbuilding project.

In related news, Ampereship recently delivered the first fully electric ships in Italy. The 26-meter-long catamarans Sale Marasino II and Sarnico will be inaugurated in spring 2025 and operate on Lake Iseo. These units, powered by two 100kW electric drives and 750kWh battery banks, are partially charged by solar panels. They will be operated by Navigazione Lago d’Iseo.