An as-yet unnamed ferry is to serve as a test platform in an EU-funded project © Søren Lund Hviid

RoPax ferry will be testing platform for the EU-funded Electric Blue project

FerryA new EU-funded green transition project with focus on electrification of ships has been launched through Horizon Europe Electric Blue, a four-year Horizon Innovation Action accelerating the transition towards cleaner and zero-emission shipping.

With EUR 7.5 million in EU funding, the project, named “Electric Blue”, brings together 14 partners from eight European countries to demonstrate the large-scale electrification of existing ships through retrofitting.

At its core is a full-scale demonstration aboard an existing RoPax vessel. The project will significantly expand the vessel’s battery capacity, combined with high-power shore-side charging, AI-driven energy management, digital twins, and advanced thermal management.

The project aims to achieve at least 120 nautical miles of fully electric sailing under optimized conditions. The solution will be demonstrated for 9-12 months, supported by shore-side infrastructure at ports in Finland and Sweden.

Electric Blue will also assess safety and lifecycle sustainability, explore replications in RoRo and cruise vessels, and develop a roadmap for the electric conversion of Europe’s RoPax and RoRo fleet. Electric Blue is funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe under Grand Agreement No. 101270307 and supported by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

sep 14 2026