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The Department of Transportation, through the Maritime Industry Authority, is moving to pilot-test electric and hybrid ferries in the Philippines, with the Iloilo-Bacolod route being eyed for pure e-ferries and Batangas-Calapan for hybrid vessels
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MARINA is pursuing the pilot run following an earlier International Maritime Organization-World Bank study on improving the safety and energy efficiency of domestic passenger ferries
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MARINA said that pure e-vessels are being considered for shorter routes, while hybrid ships may be more practical for medium-distance trips
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MARINA is also looking at retrofitting existing ferries with electric or hybrid systems, which could open opportunities for local shipbuilding
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), is moving to pilot-test electric and hybrid ferries in the Philippines, with the Iloilo-Bacolod route being eyed for pure e-ferries and Batangas-Calapan for hybrid vessels.
In line with the administration’s push for cleaner and more sustainable public transportation, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez in a statement said the DOTr is looking at how the technologies can be adapted to Philippine routes.
“What we want to see here (pilot test) is how we can use the technology in the Philippines and how it will benefit passengers, ship owners, and the environment and health sector. These can decrease fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and operational costs for vessels. Ultimately, the passengers are the beneficiaries,” Lopez said in Filipino.
DOTr and MARINA will bring together government agencies, development partners, shipowners and other industry stakeholders on November 4 in Iloilo, for a stakeholder consultation on the Interisland Ferry Decarbonization Pilot Project to discuss requirements for pilot operations, including vessel technology, charging infrastructure, financing and possible retrofitting.
MARINA is pursuing the pilot following an earlier International Maritime Organization (IMO)-World Bank study on improving the safety and energy efficiency of domestic passenger ferries.
MARINA Overseas Shipping Service director Engr. Ramon Hernandez said that pure e-vessels are being considered for shorter routes, while hybrid ships may be more practical for medium-distance trips.
Hybrid vessels use dual power sources: one from traditional diesel fuel engine, and the other from electric motor with rechargeable batteries.
“These e-ferries will solve some of the issues and concerns natin regarding first, environment. It will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide from ships. It will also address high cost of fuel oil. When you shift to electric, power consumption cost will go down. And that will also have an impact on fare rates for commuters, the public using water transportation,” Hernandez said in mixed English and Filipino.
69 million ship passengers in 2025
According to MARINA, around 69 million passenger trips were recorded through Philippine maritime transport in 2025. Out of roughly 4,000 domestic passenger ships, around 300 inter-island ferries account for about 86% of carbon dioxide emissions from domestic ferries.
The World Bank has also studied the economics of electric ferry operations in the Philippines. An electric ferry could cost about US$10 million more than the conventional vessels.
The study, however, found that it could still yield returns of more than 8%. A conventional ferry could spend $25 million to $50 million on fuel alone over 15 years, depending on oil prices.
World Bank Senior Port & Maritime Transport Specialist Ninan Biju Oommen also pointed to the Bank’s broader role in the maritime sector.
“The World Bank is providing financing to developing countries, and one of the key areas that we focus is sustainable development. Also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, carbon emissions. So this is one area the Bank is willing to work together with developing countries,” Oommen said.
The World Bank also looked at what the shift could mean for passengers.
“If you extend the life cycle time for a 15-year operating cycle, you don’t need to increase the fares. The model has ensured that you can recover the cost without increasing the fares,” Oommen said.
Routes carrying at least 500,000 passengers annually were identified as particularly suitable for electric ferry operations.
Opportunities for shipbuilding industry
MARINA is also looking at retrofitting existing ferries with electric or hybrid systems, while the shift could open opportunities for local shipbuilding. Norway, which put the world’s first all-electric car ferry into service in 2015, has been at the forefront of electric ferry development. Oommen said Norwegian vessel designers have expressed willingness to work with Philippine shipyards.
READ: PH maritime reps explore Norwegian e-ferry solutions
“You don’t want to get your ships back here in Europe, but you want to build your ship in the Philippines, and we have so many, so many people there, and technology and resources for shipbuilding,” Philippine Ambassador to Norway Enrico Fos said.
“So maybe what we would be importing in terms of e-ferries would be the technology,” Fos added.
The Philippine delegation saw electric ferries, battery and charging systems, propulsion technologies and shipbuilding facilities during its study visit to Norway in September.
READ: e-ferry prototype deal inked
Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation President Christopher Pastrana, operator of about 20 FastCats in the country, said Norway’s expertise and broad experience showed the importance of government and the private sector working together on this endeavor.
“The national government created an environment where the private sector and the government work together to come up with a national program that will promote the development of the transportation system, the entire ecosystem,” Pastrana said. “They showed it to us and showed that it can be done and it can be replicated.”
Pastrana has also expressed willingness to retrofit a FastCat vessel to electric power as part of the pilot.
