A Research and Development project by Haugesund Kommune in Norway aims to develop a national pilot for an autonomous zero emission city ferry operation.
The test period will initially last for two years, in which the vessel’s autonomy technology will gradually introduce self-driving capabilities and reduction of crew. A letter of intent (LoI) has been signed by Haugesund Kommune and technology provider Zeabuz, a maritime autonomy spin-off from NTNU Trondheim.
Following the LoI agreement, Zeabuz will deliver the autonomy software, equipping the ferry with the technology needed to safely conduct self-driving operations in complex traffic scenarios. The route will connect the city islands, make the recreational island Vibrandsøy accessible to the public, and is expected to boost local development, business and tourism in the area. To start it will travel between Haugesund Centre, Risøy and Vibrandsøy. After the initial two-year test period, Haugesund Kommune intends to expand the route to also cover additional locations such as Karmøy.
Veronica Charlotte Haugan, Project Manager Haugesund City Ferry said: “Expertise and experience are crucial to the success of an innovative project like this. When the opportunity arose to bring in additional partners, we selected those who we believe are the most qualified in Norway for this field. With this strong and capable team, I am confident that we have everything needed to successfully develop an autonomous city ferry in Haugesund.”
The project consortium consists of a strong suite of partners. Zeabuz enters the project alongside Seam and Torghatten. Torghatten and Zeabuz worked together on launching the world’s first autonomous commercial passenger ferry Estelle in Stockholm 2023.
Zeabuz CEO Erik Dyrkoren said: “It is an honour to announce our recent LoI with Haugesund Kommune. We are seeing a maturing market and technological advancements, and the time feels right to scale the first three-point shortcut network. Haugesund Kommune has a strong maritime heritage and is eager to innovate, making it an ideal partner for introducing Norway’s first autonomous city ferry. The project will undoubtedly resonate beyond Norway’s borders. We look forward to introducing the solution for the world to see, and leveraging our learnings to further scale and enable autonomous technology to solve maritime challenges globally.”
Image: Zeabuz technology has been employed in the Hydromover project (source: Zeabuz)
