Port of Rotterdam tests the future of maritime operations with new electric hydrofoil ship

A new ship has made its first foray into the world in the Netherlands: the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s brand-new fully electric hydrofoil patrol vessel.

As disclosed, the electric Artemis EF-12 Workboat, which was designed by Northern Ireland’s marine technology company Artemis Technologies, carries the name of RPA ZERO and has recently commenced sailing the waters of the Nieuwe Maas river.

The unit reportedly represents an important link in the chain of the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s pilot scheme aimed at building an environmentally friendly fleet.

According to the port authority, the pilot scheme is set to run until November this year, with tests due to be conducted in the upcoming months to assess the applications, opportunities, as well as risks associated with hydrofoil vessels.

As informed, the team from the Fleet Renewal and Sustainability Programme, together with crew and asset managers, plan to evaluate sailing behavior, ship reliability, the benefits and hurdles of electric power and charging, and a unit’s suitability for the tasks of the Harbour Master’s Division, which was established to facilitate “safe, smooth, sustainable and secure” handling of shipping in the Port of Rotterdam.

“We aim to be the smartest port, increasingly using modern tools in our enforcement and monitoring tasks. We also want to be the most sustainable port, but in case of incidents, we must be able to respond rapidly on the water,” Herman Verweij, Manager of Maritime and Environmental Safety at the Harbour Master’s Division, remarked.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority, which presides over the operations of the biggest port in Europe, anticipates its ships to reach the end of their technical service life over the next twelve years. Because of this, efforts have been made to renew the entire fleet and ensure sustainable operations in the wake of increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

Hydrofoil vessels—boats that use underwater wings (hydrofoils) to lift the hull out of the water as speed picks up and, thus, accomplish ‘significant’ fuel efficiency—are one part of this puzzle, and not just for the Dutch port.

In mid-May this year, Artemis Technologies-designed all-electric hydrofoil newbuild Zevi 1 reached Scottish waters, having arrived in Orkney to prepare for scheduled sea trials. The “Electric Orkney” project, as it was dubbed, was initially announced in October 2023 as part of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme, funded by the UK government and delivered by the UK Department of Transport via Innovate UK.

Similarly to the Port of Rotterdam, the project partners (Artemis Technologies, Orkney Ferries and the European Marine Energy Centre, or EMEC) expect that the deployment of the hydrofoil ship would pave the way for cleaner maritime operations.