AWARDS 2025 | Best Small Inland Ferry – Le Gone & La Fenotte – OCEA

This pair of identical battery-powered electric ferries was built by French shipyard OCEA to operate commuter services on the Saône River in Lyon, France. Their efficient design lowers energy consumption, cuts emissions, boosts profitability through reduced operational costs, and ensures full recyclability at end-of-life.

The fully electric propulsion system uses podded thrusters for silent, vibration-free operation, powered by integrated large battery packs. Two diesel generators serve as backup, extending autonomy for the demanding 12-hour daily, seven-days-a-week, year-round schedule when shore charging is unavailable.

These ferries deliver zero-emission commuting with enhanced passenger comfort, making them a model for urban river transport in Europe.

"Le Gone and La Fenotte are notable as fully electric river-ferry units designed for urban public-transport operations, combining low-draught catamaran hulls, zero-emission battery-driven propulsion, and seamless integration into Lyon’s multimodal transport network," Elvis Sahmanovic, Director of OCEA's Maritime Transport and Mobility Business Unit, told Baird Maritime.

"These are the first commuter ferries integrated into the global mobility network in Lyon. The new service called Navigone is operated by RATP Dev and was introduced into the TCL network in June 2025."

The vessels are based on OCEA’s standard 21-metre waterbus platform. Sahmanovic said these were designed to suit the daily ferry schedule on the Saone River. These are the first two units of a group of four vessels that will operate on a daily schedule, relying almost entirely on battery propulsion.

In addition to generating near-zero noise and emissions, the vessels deliver minimal impacts on the banks of the Saone due to their hull forms.

"These ferries can carry 90 passengers plus 10 bicycles each and are able to operate 12 hours per day, 340 days per year, which places very demanding requirements on the selection of heavy-duty onboard equipment and makes them vessels exceptionally robust," said Sahmanovic.

The vessels are made of aluminium, which OCEA selected for three main attributes.

"With only one-third the weight of steel, aluminium dramatically reduces vessel displacement, thus having lower power requirements with respect to the operating profile," Sahmanovic explained. "Less weight also means lower energy consumption, reduced emissions, and increased profitability for operators. It is also continously recyclable."

For the project, OCEA needed to to consider the local navigation conditions (taking into account parameters such as current, wind, etc.) of the Saone River to identify the ideal dimensions of the battery pack to be fitted on each vessel.

"You don’t want to overload the boat by having too many batteries," Sahmanovic remarked. "The aluminium hulls and superstructures helped us optimise and find the best mix between performance, range, and availability."

The incorporation of battery propulsion on the new ferries was done partly in compliance with decarbonisation regulations, which Sahmanovic identified as one of two main forces shaping the shipbuilding industry, along with the increasing adoption of technological and digital advances.

"Short-sea and urban passenger ferries (which include both Ro-Paxes and commuter vessels) are increasingly being built as fully electric or hybrid-electric, with batteries sized for dense urban schedules," Sahmanovic told Baird Maritime.

"These vessels act as opportunities for showcasing for zero-emission local transport, with strict requirements in terms of battery safety, charging time, and reliability, thus pushing shipyards to invest in battery integration and digital twin-based optimisation."

OCEA's work on the new ferries was part of the growing trend of electric vessels becoming more widespread, and their delivery was a highlight for the company in 2025. Sahmanovic even expects that OCEA will be able to continue generating interest among potential customers, particularly within the urban ferry segment.

"Since they entered service in November 2025, we have achieved 100 per cent of our performance targets and received full satisfaction from our customer. This particular segment of the passenger ferry market represents one of the fastest-growing segments for us, with significant growth potential in the years ahead."

Sahmanovic expects that this same future will see the passenger vessel industry shifting towards decarbonisation, electrification, “experience-driven” cruising, and the digitalisation of both ships and services, especially in the commuter ferry, Ro-Pax, and cruise segments.

"Also over the next few years, we expect that the French and European urban ferry industries will move firmly towards electric-dominant, low-emission, multimodal fleets, with strong growth in small-scale, digitally-enabled electric ferry series rather than one-off vessels."

For a list of the 2025 "Best Of" award winners, please click here.