AUTONEWS

The Orkney Islands are testing ferries with airfoil technology – how do they compare to Candela

The EF-12 Escape has a range of 52 nautical miles, and the battery charges in an hour.

Artemis Technologies...The British government is funding two different hydrofoil ferries that will be tested around the Orkney Islands for three years. This is how their capacity compares to the Swedish Candela’s ferry.

The connections across water are electrified, and airframes that lift ships’ hulls above the surface of the water contribute to increased range as well as fast travel. The technology is, among other things, being rolled out in Sweden, where Candela will test the company’s first hovercraft ferry in Stockholm’s shuttle boat traffic in the spring of 2024.

However, the latest example comes from the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland. During a test period of three years, two boats with hovercraft will go between the outer islands. For this purpose, approximately SEK 215 million has been released from the British government, with an intended start set for 2025. That’s what Electrek writes.

Developed in Belfast...The boats will be supplied by Belfast company Artemis Technologies. It will partly be a copy of the model EF-12 Escape, which is 12 meters long and has room for 12 passengers. Starting from Kirkwall, the largest city on the main island, the EF-12 will operate to the smaller islands every day. Charging the battery takes an hour and at 24.5 knots the range is 52 nautical miles. Top speed is 30 knots.

This electric boat can go all day – as long as the sun shines...A prototype of the EF-12 platform is already being tested in the North Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland. But the second boat for the Orkney Islands will be significantly larger, with room for 50 passengers and cargo – and a ferry for just that number is not yet on Artemis Technologies’ rolls. The vessel will go up to five times a day around four of the islands. A hope regarding the airfoil technology is also that it will to some extent also spare the passengers from the rough sea that prevails in the waters.

Compared to Candela...So how do the Northern Irish builds compare to Candela’s first hydrofoil ferry? After the Swedes’ success with the recreational boats C-7 and C-8, the company has developed the 12-meter model P-12 Shuttle. It is a catamaran built of carbon fiber with room for 30 people.

The two computer-controlled carbon fiber wings under the hull lift it out of the water – and when the P-12 flies, the ferry is 500 percent more efficient than any other boat. The low resistance gives a range of 40-60 nautical miles with a top speed of 30 knots. Candela writes in a press release.

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