Swedish shipping company Torghatten AB has contracted Finnish shipbuilder Työvene to construct two battery-hybrid passenger vessels.
Under the contract worth over €20 million, Työvene will build two plug-in battery-hybrid vessels based on the design developed by Norwegian ship designer Multi Maritime AS.
The vessels will operate on Sweden’s west coast between Strömstad and the Koster islands. Starting in December 2025, this will be the first regular ferry service in Sweden for Torghatten.
The two new ferries will be built for 100% electric operation with a capacity to carry 248 passengers each.
Jussi Holopainen , CEO of Summa Defence, commented on the new shipbuilding order: “Our target companies’ order backlog is already 200 million euros, and this order further strengthens it. Our target companies possess tremendous expertise and potential, and together with Summa Defence, operations and production can be scaled up significantly.”
Työvene, along with four other companies, is set to become a subsidiary of defense and security technology group Summa Defence in April 2025.
In other related news, MF Estelle, said to be the ‘world’s first’ autonomous electric ferry, completed its trial journey between two major islands in central Stockholm in October 2024, demonstrating the potential for unmanned, sustainable transport in Sweden.
During the trial, the ferry was operated remotely from Trondheim, Norway—600 kilometers away from Stockholm. The demonstration was reportedly performed from the island of Kungsholmen, where the Stockholm city hall is located, across Lake Mälaren to Stockholm’s biggest island, Södermalm.
The 12-meter-long MF Estelle is owned by Norway’s transportation company Torghatten Midt.