Turkish shipyard Tersan Shipyard has been awarded a contract to construct four double-ended full-electric vessels for Norwegian ship owner and operator, Fjord 1. The contract, the first for a vessel intended to carry passengers autonomously, was signed after the Norwegian Public Road Administration awarded a long-term public transport tender to Fjord1 for the Lavik-Oppedal crossing north of Bergen along Norway’s west coast.

The pioneering, electrically-powered vessels conceived for autonomous operation are set to make their debut carrying passenger and freight across the 5 kilometre crossing in September 2026. The vessels will subsequently begin to progressively introduce autonomous features, including autocrossing and autodocking in 2027, until fully autonomous operations are achieved in 2028.