Shell has awarded a contract to a Singapore-based firm Penguin International Limited, to design, build and operate at least three fully electric ferries which, when operational, will be the first fully electric ferry service in Singapore and a first for Shell globally.
Expected to set sail in the first half of 2023, the new 200-seater single-deck ferries will be used to transport passengers between mainland Singapore to Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park on the island of Bukom, replacing the conventional diesel-powered ferries currently used.
"Shipping’s future will involve different parts of the sector using different fuels, and electrification is a solution to decarbonize short voyages, including port operations,” said Nick Potter, General Manager of Shell Shipping and Maritime, Asia Pacific & Middle East. “Switching to zero-emission, fully-electric ferries is part of Shell’s ambition to help accelerate progress towards net-zero emissions in the shipping sector. I thank Penguin and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore in supporting this shared ambition.”
"Our privately funded Electric Dream project is much more than just electric ferries and shore chargers,” said James Tham, Managing Director of Penguin International Limited. “It is Singapore’s first real-world commercial application of marine electrification. Penguin and our project partners Incat Crowther and Razor Blunt Labs have designed a safe and reliable end-to-end solution that meets Shell’s standards.”
The approximately 5.5-kilometer-long ferry route off the Straits of Singapore is a busy connection that transports around 3,000 passengers a day, or an estimated 1.8 million passenger trips annually.
The fully electric ferries will be powered by a lithium-ion battery system with a capacity of 1.2 MWh and run at speeds of over 20 knots with zero emissions and noise. When berthed at Shell Bukom, the ferries will be charged via a combination of fast charging during peak hours, and slow charging during off-peak hours and overnight.