By
Laura Hyde |
Damen Shipyards Group has completed construction of the first fully electric Waterbus 2907 Electric.
The vessel, which has been specifically designed to provide sustainable public transport in urban areas which often have extremely low wash levels, was officially introduced at an event on 12 March 2026. The event was hosted at Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam in the Netherlands and attended by the company’s clients, suppliers and local authorities.
“The development of the Waterbus 2907 Electric has been a fine balancing act,” said Lodewijk van Os, product manager fast and city ferries at Damen. “This is a vessel that will be in constant use, facing multiple mooring and boarding moments every hour of the day. As such, it needs to be robust. At the same time, however, it will operate in an environment where sustainability is paramount. We’ve put a lot of effort into creating a platform that is efficient in operation, producing zero emissions, and optimally comfortable for passengers.”
The vessel features a slender, efficient hull with a beam of 1.1 metres, developed in collaboration with Maritime Research Institute Netherlands. Carbon fibre has been incorporated into the hull to reduce weight to compensate for the additional weight from the ship’s batteries. This ensures the wake produced by the vessel is minimal.
The Waterbus 2907 Electric has a 1,000-volt battery system capable of rapid charging. It is also prepared for the megawatt charging system (MCS), which has been developed for the heavy-duty automotive sector and will enable the vessel to charge even faster. A full test has been planned by Damen for later this year.
“Electrification offers a clear route to increasingly sustainable maritime operations,” said van Os. “This is particularly relevant for the waterborne public transportation sector, where new, greener connections will increase the attractiveness of services for both tourists and commuters alike.”
The Waterbus 2907 Electric has been specifically designed to provide sustainable public transport in urban areas which often have extremely low wash levels
“There is a lot of experimentation taking place in electric waterborne public transportation currently,” said Jan van Ooijen, design and proposal engineer public transport at Damen. “We see a lot of concepts in development. We wanted to take this to the next level of maturity with the creation of a solution that offers a reliable, sustainable service.”