Scalable Autonomy for Urban Passenger Ferries

Imagine traveling through a city by ferry without a captain at the helm—quietly gliding across the water, producing zero emissions, and arriving on-demand. This vision is now a reality thanks to the SCAPE project. Led by Zeabuz in collaboration with NTNU, Torghatten, Marine Technologies, and SentiSystems, SCAPE has pioneered a new era of urban mobility: small-scale, autonomous, electric ferries. In June 2023, Torghatten launched the Zeam service in Stockholm with the ferry MF Estelle—a world-first in highly automated passenger transport. Powered by Zeabuz’s autonomy platform, Estelle has been shuttling thousands of passengers across Stockholm’s waters, showcasing the safety, efficiency, and environmental benefits of zero-emission travel. Over two years of operation, Estelle’s self-docking and collision-avoidance capabilities have proven reliable in the bustling city center, instilling public trust in autonomous waterborne transport. Behind the scenes, SCAPE developed a comprehensive “Autonomy-as-a-Service” model. This includes a sensor package that “sees” the ferry’s surroundings, sophisticated algorithms that help plan and execute safe journeys, and an online risk management system that continuously monitors the ferry’s health and safety. An advanced data management framework connects onboard sensors to onshore management, allowing continuous learning and improvement. Additionally, the project established a prototype Remote Control Center (ROC) in Trondheim, demonstrating how human operators can supervise multiple ferries from afar, stepping in only when needed. By turning waterways into eco-friendly “virtual bridges,” SCAPE is helping to reduce traffic congestion on roads and promote sustainable transport in cities worldwide. The success of MF Estelle not only paves the way for cost-effective, on-demand ferry services but also places Norway at the forefront of maritime innovation. As SCAPE concludes, its achievements provide a strong foundation for expanding autonomous ferry networks globally—offering cleaner air, reduced traffic, and a greener future for urban travel.

The SCAPE project has delivered significant advancements in maritime autonomy, moving technology from concept to commercial implementation. Zeabuz has successfully transitioned its innovations into market-ready products, while Marine Technologies has expanded its offerings with new motion control systems, leading to the emergence of a new segment in autonomous shipping. Torghatten, through its Zeam service, has launched MF Estelle—its first autonomous ferry operation—demonstrating how waterways can enhance urban mobility by reducing congestion in a safe, eco-friendly, and cost-effective manner. A key outcome of the project is the development of a comprehensive “Autonomy-as-a-Service” model, integrating research-driven innovations such as a sensor package for situational awareness, intelligent navigation algorithms, an online risk management system, and a data framework for continuous learning. The project has also established a prototype Remote Control Center (ROC) in Trondheim, showcasing how multiple ferries can be efficiently supervised by human operators from a centralized location. These advancements have strengthened industry collaboration, bringing together technology providers, transport companies, and urban planners to accelerate the adoption of autonomous maritime solutions. In the long term, SCAPE’s results contribute to positioning Norway as a global leader in sustainable maritime autonomy. By enabling safer, smarter, and more efficient waterborne transport, the project lays the groundwork for widespread adoption of autonomous systems in public transportation and logistics. The impact extends beyond the maritime sector, influencing policy frameworks, infrastructure planning, and environmental strategies. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary collaboration fostered by SCAPE supports future innovation, ensuring continued development of autonomous transport solutions that deliver economic, environmental, and societal benefits.

Zeabuz aims to revitalize urban waterways – our historic and freely available infrastructure – with zero emission, autonomous passenger ferries. This research project aims to develop new innovations that will enable this vision and a large-scale, global rollout of waterborne, future-proof mobility systems. Part 1 of the proposed innovation is to industrialize, robustify and improve currently available autonomy research, while integrating new elements needed in an industrial application. This will be a targeted effort towards relatively simple operations consisting of shortcuts across rivers, canals, and harbour basins where there is limited traffic. The proposed autonomy platform is comprised of a perception sensor rig, situational awareness, motion planning, motion control and automation, data processing, online risk management and necessary ferry system interfaces. To succeed with value creation based on Part 1 of the innovation, future operators of such ferry systems must be empowered to confidently choose the Zeabuz autonomy platform. Part 2 of the innovation is, therefore, to develop Autonomy-as-a-Service (AaaS) as an innovation both in terms of delivery process and business model. This will be an end-to-end solution for autonomy, where Zeabuz will install, commission, operate, monitor, and maintain the autonomy platform throughout the system lifecycle. The key AaaS infrastructure elements are onboard and onshore data management, a database and processes for algorithm training, testing and validation, a life-cycle software management system, a remote support centre with human operators, and redundant and secure real-time communication. The realization and scaling of the Zeabuz mobility systems is a landmark interdisciplinary effort, requiring R&D within industrial design, business modelling, human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, optimization, nonlinear control theory, and data management.