Hong Kong ferries to go electric

Hong Kong’s first electric ferry will be put into service after undergoing final testing in local waters by the end of this year, said Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan.

To promote the trial of electric ferries in Hong Kong, the SAR government previously earmarked HK$350 million to implement the Pilot Scheme for Electric Ferries to fully subsidize ferry operators on the fees of the construction of four electric ferries and the associated charging facilities.

In response to lawmaker inquiries on Wednesday, the government official said among the four ferry operators in the pilot scheme, three of them have completed the open tender process for the procurement of ferries.

The ship launching ceremony of an electric ferry constructed by one of the ferry operators was held in Nansha, Guangzhou, in early September this year, he said, adding that the electric ferry is currently undergoing various performance tests and will formally be put into service after undergoing final testing in Hong Kong waters by the end of this year and allowing captains to familiarize themselves with the operation of it.

Meanwhile, Tse said the shipbuilding works of the other two ferry operators are now in progress, with the shipbuilding works of an electric ferry generally taking about 18 months.

“It is anticipated that these two electric ferries will be delivered to Hong Kong for final testing in the first half of 2025 and the first half of 2026. The remaining ferry operator has also commenced the open tender exercise for the procurement of electric ferries,” he said.

In the early implementation stage of the pilot scheme, authorities estimated that the trials of electric ferries could commence in 2023.

When asked about the one-year delay, Tse said there are limited applications of electric ferries globally and the scheme involved the conduct of trials on new technology of electric ferries locally for the first time.

He also noted that the ferry operators have to exercise extra prudence in the design and tendering process so as to ensure that the electric ferries can meet their relevant operational needs and ensure the proper use of public money.

Therefore, the SAR government subsequently updated the target and plan to test out the electric ferries in cooperation with ferry operators in 2024, Tse added.