Electric vessel makers see strong overseas demand, but adoption remains limited in Singapore
Shipbuilders say local adoption is lagging as operators weigh costs, infrastructure and operational challenges.
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SINGAPORE: On the Singapore River, electric ferries are giving visitors a quieter and cleaner alternative to traditional diesel-powered boats.
The ferries, which run on batteries supported by solar panels, are built by local startup Pyxis.
Each boat uses about the same amount of power as two to three hairdryers while cruising, according to the company’s founder Tommy Phun.
Five of them have been operating along the Singapore River since 2025, with another nine expected to hit the water by the end of this year.
Mr Phun said that demand for the company’s range of electric vessels – which also include harbour craft for port operations – has roughly doubled over the past two to three years.
Interest is now coming from overseas markets such as Japan and Indonesia.
He added that the rising demand comes as rules around emissions tighten and the cost of running electric vessels becomes more competitive.
“Regulatory and decarbonisation targets by companies are becoming clearer, more firmed up,” Mr Phun noted.
“The total cost of (electric vessel) ownership is starting to work quite well, especially for routes that are very heavily utilised, and especially so in this current high fuel price environment,” he added.
Fuel prices have spiked globally since the war on Iran broke out in end-February, due to the disruption to Gulf oil supplies.
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FIRMS LOOK BEYOND SINGAPORE
Another player in the sector, Yinson GreenTech, is also seeing strong demand, particularly outside Singapore.
The Malaysia-headquartered company has already secured contracts in the United Arab Emirates, as interest in its electric vessels moves from pilot projects to commercial deployment.
Such technologies are seen as a way to reduce emissions in shipping, especially for short-distance operations such as harbour craft, which are allowed to only ply within the waters of Singapore.
One such vessel, the Hydromover, is designed to transport cargo, supplies and crew between shore and ships.
The vessel is fully digital, allowing operators to track movements, monitor performance and view emissions data in real time through a cloud-based platform, said Mr Eric Chean, a senior business development manager at Yinson.
It is also built to be “future-ready”, with the option to incorporate autonomous systems and battery-swapping technology, which could significantly reduce charging time, he added.
SLOW TAKE-UP AT HOME
But while demand is growing overseas, adoption in Singapore remains limited.
Electric vessels still make up only a fraction of Singapore’s roughly 1,600 harbour craft, said Yinson’s Mr Chean.
A major issue is confidence, especially among operators weighing the costs and viability of electrification.
“What is needed is really to help the operators of these vessels gain confidence in the economics of the electrification story, in terms of their day-to-day experiences with these vessels,” Mr Chean added.
Operators are also looking at practical considerations, such as whether there are enough charging points where vessels operate, and how easily crews can adapt to new systems.
He added that more needs to be done across the ecosystem – from vessel builders to operators and regulators – to speed up adoption.
“It’s definitely an ecosystem that has to come together … to really help to see what could be done to make this adoption accelerate,” he said.
Mr Chean also noted that digital tools can improve visibility of vessel schedules and anchorage conditions to help operators plan their routes more efficiently and reduce waiting time.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS KEY
Singapore has already set a direction for the adoption of electric vessels.
From 2030, all new harbour craft operating in the Port of Singapore must be fully electric, capable of using B100 biofuel, or compatible with net-zero fuels such as hydrogen, under plans by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Charging infrastructure is also being rolled out in phases, while technical standards have been put in place to ensure different vessel designs can use the same charging systems safely and efficiently.
The country’s status as a global maritime hub gives it an advantage, said Associate Professor Tay Chuan Beng from the Singapore Institute of Technology’s engineering cluster.
With one of the world’s busiest ports and a large fleet of harbour craft operating in concentrated areas, there is potential to deploy and test such technologies at scale, he noted.
But electrification will depend on how well different parts of the sector come together, from ship design to the optimal location of charging points.
He added that rethinking how vessels are deployed – for instance through shorter trips with multiple stops – could improve efficiency and support more viable operations.
“It is simply not viable to carry more and more batteries to operate longer range and longer distance,” said Assoc Prof Tay.
“The key to making this work is to think about it holistically, beyond just the ship itself.”
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