Small Pacific nations share a common problem: inter-island transport depends almost entirely on diesel boats running on imported fuel. Fiji’s memorandum of understanding with Swedish hydrofoil maker Candela is one of the first attempts in the region to test whether electric vessels can change that, and if it works, other island states may watch closely.
Under the MoU, three to five Candela P-12 electric hydrofoils could enter service from mid-2027 under a new local brand, VukaWaqa, on the route between Nadi/Denarau and the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. Green Pacific Shipping will own and finance the fleet, Sea Fiji will run local operations and crewing, and Candela will supply the vessels while training local crew and technicians and helping build maintenance capability in Fiji. Commercial agreements are still to be finalised.
What makes this more than a vessel order is that local capability commitment. Rather than shipping in boats and flying in specialists for every repair, the plan is to train Fijian crew and technicians to run and maintain the fleet themselves, though the MoU doesn’t say how many roles that involves or whether they’d be new jobs. It’s a different model to how marine technology often arrives in small island states, dropped in with ongoing dependence on the supplier.
Candela’s own modelling for a typical resort transfer route suggests two P-12s could cut annual operating costs by up to 42 percent against diesel boats, avoiding more than 26,000 tonnes of CO₂ over fifteen years. The P-12 lifts its 12-metre hull onto hydrofoils at cruising speed, cutting energy use by roughly 80 percent versus a diesel boat, according to Candela. It carries 30 passengers and a skipper, cruises at 25 knots, and covers 40 nautical miles per charge. These remain manufacturer figures, not results proven on Fijian routes.
Long term, the aim is to pair the fleet with floating solar charging, cutting diesel out of the equation entirely, a model Candela has separately begun rolling out with energy partner Canopy Power across the Asia-Pacific, though Fiji’s own charging arrangements are still to be worked through.
Candela’s ferries already run in Stockholm, with further deployments announced in the Maldives, Mumbai and Norway, though it’s unclear whether those share Fiji’s ownership and training structure. That makes this a test case, not yet a template, one worth watching regardless.
