Norway’s Haugesund eyes emission-free autonomous city boat

Norway’s Haugesund municipality has signed a letter of intent with compatriot ferry operator Torghatten, zero-emission solutions supplier SEAM, and autonomy software firm Zeabuz for the research and development project ‘Emission-free autonomous city boat’.

As informed, the project aims to develop a zero-emission, autonomous vessel for the city of Haugesund. The vessel will service Haugesund City Centre, Vibrandsøy and Risøy.

The partners plan to initiate the route and test the technology starting in the autumn of 2025.

In the long term, the goal is to expand the route to also cover other locations such as Karmøy.

“We have a maritime history and a great coast with islands close to the city that have not been accessible to the public for many years. The city boat project will help make Vibrandsøy accessible to everyone, strengthen the city’s maritime identity, and give residents and tourists easy, environmentally friendly access to a fantastic recreation area. At the same time, it will promote business development and tourism in the region,” Annette Sæther, Head of Business in Haugesund municipality, said.

“We are now working towards the goal of having the boat in operation (for testing) during the autumn of 2025. This timeframe gives us the opportunity to deliver a full-fledged, safe and reliable service together with our existing and new partners,” Ole Bernt Thorbjørnsen, Municipal Director in Haugesund municipality, commented.

The new partners will join the project group which consists of Haugesund Municipality, Karmsund Havn, Havnekraft, Remota, Maritime Cleantech, Høgskulen på Vestlandet (HVL) and Norce. The partnership will ensure that the new city boat operates safely, efficiently and environmentally friendly with future-oriented and scalable technology, according to a joint statement.

Mayor Nils Konrad Bua believes that the project will have positive ripple effects for Haugesund:

“The boat will be the first of its kind. There is no equivalent pilot like this in Norway today, so this is an important milestone for the development of Norwegian technology. The innovation will certainly help put Haugesund municipality and the region on the map when it comes to the development of maritime technology.”