Belfast-based Artemis Technologies has put the world’s first fully electric hydrofoil pilot boat into the water, with the EF-12 Pilot now completing sea trials ahead of commercial deployment.
The vessel targets one of the more stubborn emissions problems in port operations. Pilot boats, which ferry licensed harbour pilots out to incoming ships and retrieve them from departing ones, run constantly. A typical diesel-powered pilot boat burns between 450 and 800 litres of fuel every day, generating up to 1,200 tonnes of CO2e annually per vessel. They also operate in ecologically sensitive coastal and harbour environments, where diesel exhaust, noise, and wash from high-speed hulls compound the impact. The EF-12 Pilot is designed to eliminate all three.
The key to making fully electric propulsion work at pilot-boat speeds is the eFoiler system. Rather than pushing a heavy displacement hull through the water, the eFoiler uses carbon-fibre hydrofoils to lift the entire hull clear of the surface once underway. With the hull flying above the water, hydrodynamic drag drops sharply, and that drag reduction is what makes a useful electric range achievable. A hull still in the water at 25-plus knots needs substantially more power than one riding above it, which is why previous electric workboat attempts have struggled to deliver both range and speed. The foils are the enabler.
Managing a foiling hull in real working conditions requires more than the foils themselves. An autonomous flight control system continuously adjusts ride height, roll and pitch in real time, keeping the deck stable through turns, chop, and the pressure waves generated by large ships. When the boat drops to displacement mode for close-quarter manoeuvring alongside a vessel, following wake is eliminated, which is important both for crew safety during the pilot transfer and for avoiding wash damage to other harbour traffic.
The EF-12 Pilot is offered in single (270 kW) and dual (540 kW) propulsion configurations. The dual variant reaches 32 knots top speed with a 45 nautical mile foiling range; the single variant tops out at 30 knots with a 47 NM range. Both configurations cruise at 25 knots and recharge fully in under an hour using ultra-fast DC charging. Routine maintenance requirements are also significantly reduced compared to a diesel installation, with no fuel, oil changes, or exhaust systems to service.
The environmental gains extend beyond tailpipe emissions. Flying the hull above the water at speed eliminates the wash that displacement hulls generate, reducing shoreline erosion, protecting harbour-floor ecology, and cutting underwater noise. For port authorities operating in environmentally regulated waters, that matters alongside the carbon number.
Artemis conducted sea trials at Cork Harbour, completing 15 ship contacts with four vessel types ranging from 90 to 158 metres. The wheelhouse is designed around pilot transfer visibility, with large wrap-around windows and a custom 8-inch HMI display providing real-time battery and vessel performance data in day and night modes.
CEO Dr Iain Percy framed the development in operational terms: “Pilotage places very specific demands on a vessel. The Artemis EF-12 Pilot applies proven foiling technology to meet those demands, delivering an efficient, fully electric solution that supports pilots, crews and port operations globally.”
First customers include Brabo in Belgium, the Swedish Maritime Administration, Noatum Maritime in Abu Dhabi, and the Port of Tyne in the UK. The EF-12 Pilot draws on more than four years of operational experience with Artemis’s eFoiler platform, which also underpins the company’s crew transfer and passenger ferry vessels.
Read more at Artemis Technologies Launches World’s First 100% Electric Hydrofoil Pilot Boat | Artemis EF-12 Pilot
