Two electric fast ferries under construction for Auckland Harbour

Two electric fast ferries capable of carrying 200 people each will run in Auckland Harbour on New Zealand’s North Island starting in 2024, after the NZ government announced it would provide $NZ27 million to Auckland Transport to support their construction.

The government said on Tuesday that the grant would cover approximately 75% of the cost of building the two new electric ferries, which will be owned and operated by Auckland Transport, the city council-controlled organisation responsible for transport projects and services.

The two electric fast ferries will operate across all major inner and mid-harbour services on Auckland harbour, also known as Waitematā Harbour, in New Zealand’s most populous city.

“Today’s ferries contribute about 20% of Auckland’s public transport emissions,” said Dr Megan Woods, the New Zealand minister for energy and resources.

“These electric ferries promise to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with each electric ferry displacing approximately 1000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The two ferries will be designed by local maritime engineering company EV Maritime and built by the Auckland-based shipbuilders McMullen & Wing. Funding for the project comes from the New Zealand Infrastructure Reference Group’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

Few details were released about the specifics of the two ferries, except that they will have propulsion and control technologies from Hamilton Jet – a leading NZ exporter and innovator in marine propulsion systems – and will boast a top speed of 25-knots and a range of 40-kilometres.

“As a harbour city, getting around by ferry is the norm for many thousands of Aucklanders,” said New Zealand climate change minister James Shaw.

“Today’s announcement means that instead of fossil fuels powering many of those journeys, people will be getting around in ways that help create a climate-friendly, prosperous future for New Zealand.”

He said next month’s Emissions Reduction Plan will include many more initiatives to cut emissions from transport.