VESSEL REVIEW | Alvaret – Swedish Transport Administration welcomes new cross-strait electric ferry to fleet

The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) recently took delivery of a new double-ended vehicle ferry.

Alvaret was built for Trafikverket by Netherlands-based Holland Shipyards Group as the first vessel in a planned series of four. She is a fully electric vessel fitted with intelligent operating systems in line with Trafikverket’s aim of having low-emission ferry operations throughout Sweden within the next two decades.

Double-ended design for more efficient operations

The newbuild has a length of 86 metres (280 feet), a beam of 14.24 metres (46.72 feet), and space for 200 passengers and various motor vehicles as well as bicycles.

The vessel’s electric propulsion system consisting of lithium-ion batteries can deliver a service speed of 10 knots and is expected to generate up to 90 per cent fewer CO₂ emissions compared to her predecessors that ran on traditional marine fuels.

The vessel boasts ample deck space and a double-ended design to allow for rapid turnarounds without having to manoeuvre, thus allowing a greater number of trips to be completed in a given period.

At each stop are automated charging stations for the batteries. Four minutes’ charging time will already provide sufficient power for a one-way trip across the 1.1-kilometre (0.7-mile) stretch of the Ljusteröleden cross-strait route, which runs between Östanå and Ljusterö in the Stockholm archipelago.

The ferry’s battery propulsion has backup in the form of auxiliary engines that operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). Should the batteries fail while the vessel is underway, she can seamlessly switch to the HVO-powered auxiliaries to ensure uninterrupted sailing, at least until arriving at the nearer of the two stops.

Automated systems ensuring more streamlined navigation

When operating autonomously, Alvaret is monitored in real-time by operators at Trafikverket’s main control centre in Stockholm. Aiding the operators in their monitoring of the vessel’s condition are onboard radar, lidar, AI-enabled cameras that can detect obstacles in the water, and IOT sensors.

The latter can track the condition of the batteries as well as feed data to machine learning algorithms to help Trafikverket identify possible maintenance issues before these manifest. Servicing can then be scheduled in a way that would not impact the vessel's daily operations.

Docking and mooring can also be performed autonomously, and berthing can be completed safely without human intervention even when the ferry is subjected to 15-knot winds.

Portuguese naval architecture firm Vera Navis Ship Design provided complete systems coordination for production, ensuring the seamless integration of the ferry’s advanced technologies.

Alvaret will be operated by Trafikverket’s Färjerederiet ferry division on the Ljusteröleden route. A one-way trip across the can be completed in as little as seven minutes, and up to 20 departures can occur every hour during peak periods.

The vessel is still undergoing post-delivery trials as her entry into commercial service is scheduled for early 2026.