Saudi Arabia’s NEOM to receive fleet of zero-emission electric passenger ships

Saudi Arabia’s giga-project NEOM is set to receive a fleet of eight Swedish Candela P-12 electric hydrofoil passenger ships, with delivery of the vessels beginning in 2025.

The zero-emission fleet will advance waterborne transport with frequent departures, high speeds, and low energy costs.

This comes as the NEOM focuses on developing a sustainable, shared, and seamlessly integrated mobility system.

“The P-12 is designed to create zero-emission water transport systems which have significant improvements over traditional water commuting,” Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela, said.

He added: “Unlike legacy systems with large, slow, and energy-inefficient conventional ferries, the Candela P-12 is a smaller and faster unit, allowing much more frequent departures and quicker journeys for passengers. All daily necessities and services will be just a short boat commute away.”

Launched in 2023, Candela P-12 ships are set to debut in Stockholm’s public transport sector later this year.

With computer-guided hydrofoils, the P-12 consumes 80 percent less energy than traditional ships.