The Government of Åland has employed industrial design consultancy Elomatic to perform a feasibility study into new power systems for its ferry service. 

Fully electrifying or installing a hybrid propulsion system on the M/S Skarven vessel will be investigated. It currently runs on diesel engines. 

Elomatic project manager Janne Sarjomaa said: “The goal of the Government of Åland is to make traffic green as cost-effectively as possible.”

The inter-island service connects the Lumparland and Föglö areas of the Åland archipelago, which itself is positioned roughly halfway between Finland and Sweden in the Baltic Sea. 

Along with on-ship power options, Elomatic will look at onshore power provision and requirements for a charging network at Åland’s existing ports.

The study has already begun but the consultancy company said it would be in “full swing” by August and make its final reports by the end of September. The government will set its timescale for deciding on future measures when the report has been delivered.