STOCKHOLM — A high-tech electric ferry service began operating in Stockholm on Tuesday, offering commuters a low-carbon way to traverse the waterways of the Swedish capital, which is built on 14 islands.

In what Stockholm claimed was a world first, 25 commuters from the suburb of Ekero boarded the Nova, a hydrofoil ferry powered by electric motors. The ferry passed about 1 meter (3 feet) above the water and traveled 15 kilometers (9 miles) to reach Stockholm City Hall in just 30 minutes. The morning shuttle on the regular diesel-powered ferry line takes 45 minutes non-stop.

“We are doing this to show the way in the green transition at sea,” said Gustav Hemming, the city councilor responsible for climate and infrastructure. The goal of the nine-month pilot project was to “get more people to park their cars and buy a (public transport) card instead.

Gustav Hasselskog, chief executive of electric boat maker Candela, called it “a paradigm shift for urban transport and a revitalization of our waterways”.

He said the Nova was the first of Candela’s new P-12 models to enter service. Its computer-controlled hydrofoil wings lift the hull above the water, reducing energy consumption by 80% compared to conventional ships by reducing water friction.

“Conventional ships have not evolved much in 100 years and are among the least efficient modes of transportation, rivaled only by a battle tank,” Hasselskog said in a statement.

From Tuesday, Nova becomes part of the ferry fleet operated by Stockholm-based public transport provider SL.

The ship is designed to carry 25 passengers, including a wheelchair space. There are speed limits on one side of the course, but on open water there are no restrictions. The hydrofoil has a cruising speed of around 25 knots (46 kph or 29 mph) and can reach a top speed of 30 knots (56 kph or 35 mph) – considerably faster than other electric passenger ferries. It achieves this with carbon fiber hydrofoil wings that lift the boat out of the water, reducing drag.

An added advantage is that the ship is exempt from the 12-knot speed limit in Stockholm because it leaves no wake – waves produced by a boat’s movement through water that increase speed and could swamp other ships or erode the coastline.

Candela says its technology reduces energy per passenger kilometer by 95% compared to diesel ferries in the picturesque Stockholm archipelago.

The vessel can operate in waves of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet).

Candela hopes that, like Stockholm, cities like San Francisco, New York and Venice will lead the electrification of public water transport.

Stockholm has about 70 public transport ships that use fossil fuels. There were around 6.2 million public transport boat trips in the Stockholm region in 2022, and although boat traffic remains a small part of the overall public transport system, it is the fastest growing mode of public transport after the pandemic COVID-19.