Estonian State Fleet signed a design and shipbuilding contract with the Polish shipyard CRIST for the construction of its first fully electric passenger ferry. Designed to operate primarily on shore-charged green electricity and for year-round service in demanding Nordic conditions, including winter ice operations, Estonia State Fleet reports the ferry will mark a major step in the decarbonization of ferry transport in the Baltic Sea region.
The vessel will be built by Polish shipyard CRIST using a design from LGM Marin. At approximately 100 meters (328 feet) in length, the ferry will accommodate up to 110 passenger vehicles or eight freight trucks, with capacity for up to 380 passengers. As Estonia’s first vessel powered 100 percent by green electricity, the new ferry is expected to be up to 64 percent more energy-efficient than Estonia’s existing reference vessel, Regula, which is powered by traditional diesel generators.
The new ferry’s primary power source will be shore-charged electricity stored in a 3 MWh battery system, enabling fully electric operation on the main island’s Virtsu–Kuivastu route. For extended range, severe weather, and emergency operations, the vessel will also be equipped with biodiesel generators, providing an operating range of at least 1,000 nautical miles without refueling. This hybrid redundancy, Estonia notes, also makes the vessel technically suitable for additional longer routes.
