Artemis Technologies, a company based in Belfast, UK, recently announced that its newly developed EF-12 Pilot electric hydrofoil pilot boat has been officially launched and entered the sea trial stage. It is positioned as the world's first 100% electric, zero-emission hydrofoil pilot boat. It aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions and channel disturbances while ensuring port pilotage safety.
Pilots are senior professionals who are familiar with the local water environment and various channel risks. They are responsible for boarding sea-going ships and undertaking precise maneuvering tasks during docking or departure. In the traditional operation mode, pilots need to board or leave the ship through a pilot boat in the open sea. This process often requires jumping while the two ships are moving relative to each other. If they are not careful, they may be caught between the hulls or fall into the sea. Therefore, it has long been regarded as a high-risk operation.
In order to reduce this risk, special-purpose pilot boats have gradually evolved a highly special design: the hull usually adopts a deep V-shaped planing or semi-displacement structure to cut through waves in rough sea conditions and remain stable without violent beating in waves. At the same time, it needs to maintain a high-speed sailing of about 25 knots (about 29 miles/hour, 46 kilometers/hour) in wind and waves, and has lifeboat-like airtightness and self-righting capabilities to ensure that the hull can automatically recover when it encounters capsizing. The hull of a traditional pilot boat will also be significantly reinforced and covered with impact-resistant elastomers, polyurethane or foam fenders to absorb impact when approaching the side of a large ship at high speed; the engine room will be equipped with a responsive power system and propulsion device to achieve precise maneuvering and fast throttle response.
The design goal of Artemis EF-12 Pilot is to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of its operation while meeting the above-mentioned stringent technical requirements for pilot boats. Artemis Technologies stated that the boat is equipped with the self-developed Artemis eFoiler electric propulsion system, which is available in single-drive and dual-drive configurations. Its core is to deeply integrate the carbon fiber foil with the electronically controlled "flight control system" to lift the entire hull out of the water at an appropriate speed, thereby significantly reducing hydrodynamic resistance and minimizing the navigation wake.
In the port environment, the wake generated by traditional high-speed ships often causes erosion and disturbance to the shoreline and harbor water bodies. However, with the hydrofoils raised, the EF-12 Pilot can maintain small wave impact at higher speeds, helping to protect the shoreline and harbor structures. Its active stability control system can adjust the height, rolling and pitching attitude of the hull in real time to keep the deck as stable as possible at high speeds and even in harsh sea conditions, providing a safer platform for pilots to transfer between the two ships.
In terms of performance, the EF-12 Pilot has a top speed of 32 knots (approximately 37 mph, 59 km/h), a range of 45 to 55 nautical miles (approximately 52 to 63 miles/83 to 102 kilometers) in "flight" conditions with the hydrofoils raised, and supports charging in less than an hour through ultra-high-speed DC charging equipment. Artemis Technologies pointed out that this high-efficiency electric propulsion combined with rapid energy replenishment capability enables the new boat to have feasible turnover efficiency in actual port operations, while significantly reducing the direct emissions and noise pollution of traditional diesel pilot boats.
Dr. Iain Percy, CEO of Artemis Technologies, said pilotage operations place very specific and demanding requirements on ships, and the EF‑12 Pilot is the result of building on proven hydrofoil technology and optimizing it for these needs. He emphasized that this solution provides an efficient, all-electric new option for pilots, crews and port operations in ports around the world, and is expected to promote greener and safer technology upgrades in the field of pilotage.