Abstract

Over the past decade, short-sea ferry operations have become a primary proving ground for maritime decarbonisation and autonomy. Norway has been at the forefront of this development, with approximately 80 electric commuter ferries in operation by 2024 and a strong policy push for zero-emission ferry services. In parallel, Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) technologies have moved from experimental platforms to early commercial services, particularly in urban passenger ferries and short-sea Ro-Ro connections.

This report presents a state-of-the-art review of electrically driven, battery-powered autonomous ferries and associated remote control centres (RCCs). It first characterises technical developments in electric propulsion, energy storage, and charging infrastructure, then examines autonomy architectures, sensor suites, and control algorithms for ferries. It proceeds to analyse emerging RCC concepts, focusing on human-machine interaction, operator competence, and system-of-systems integration.

The Lavik-Oppedal project is used as a central case study. Fjord1, together with HAV Group, Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) and Tersan Shipyard, is developing four autonomous, zero-emission Ro-Pax ferries intended to operate the world's first fully autonomous ferry connection from 1 September 2026. The ferries will employ auto-crossing and auto-docking from 2027, followed by autonomous navigation from 2028, supervised from a new control centre in Florø.

The report concludes with recommendations for Fjord1 and similar operators: phased deployment of autonomy with conservative operating envelopes; early and systematic integration of human-centred RCC design; and a coordinated research and development agenda targeting joint risk assessment, operator competence frameworks, and digital twin-enabled lifecycle optimisation.