By the end of next year, the waters around the Maldives will be humming with some 30 hydrofoils, in what looks set to be a test case for the world’s first standardised inter-island transportation service. Indeed, that number will be just for starters: by the end of the decade this network is expected to be 100-vessels strong, thanks to a $100m deal between JIH Global Investment, a Dubai-based development group with interests in luxury hospitality across the island chain, and Navier, a Bay Area-based US company building what it calls next-generation hydrofoil vessels.
Navier N30
Navier’s 30ft N30 hydrofoils are all-electric, with a 75-nautical-mile range, and built around a super lightweight carbon-fibre hull – the company sees this as a scalable platform on which it will soon offer a 40ft version of its hydrofoil, now being built, and, later, both a 120ft one and a hybrid version. According to Navier, small high-speed boats are 15 times more expensive to operate than similarly sized hydrofoils. The first five N30s will go into service over the next few months.
On board the Navier N30
‘The fact is that hydrofoils can fundamentally change the way we think of moving through water,’ argues Navier’s founder Sampriti Bhattacharyya, ex of Nasa and MIT, where she worked on the development of underwater drones. ‘Hydrofoils don’t fight the water, but ride above it, with low drag and a lower wake [relative to conventional boats]. That makes them more energy efficient and smoother to ride – because, again, you’re above the water.
Navier N30 in flight
‘A network of smaller vessels is also more convenient because they don’t require the building of a big terminal [as a more conventional ferry service might], operating larger ships that may be transporting just a few people at a time,’ she adds. ‘Hydrofoils are not new, but cheaper, more compact computing and sensors of the kind used in drones and self-driving cars have also allowed us to build more economic systems [through which the fleet can be managed]’.
Navier N30 in flight
Initially, Navier’s Maldives fleet will service the islands’ upscale hotels – Bhattacharyya says the N30’s quiet, zero-emission electric motors are a better fit with the Maldives’ public image as a sustainability champion, with the nation aiming for ‘net zero’ by the end of the decade. Today, the Maldives currently sees around 3,000 gas-powered vessels operating in its waters.
When docked, the N30's foils are stowed
Navier, which was founded in 2019, is also in the planning stages for a second such hydrofoil network for Cambodia, with a smaller service for the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas, situated on the banks of Lady Bird Lake. Indeed, Bhattacharyya sees potential for Navier’s hydrofoils to operate in any premium coastal market, citing the likes of Miami, Nantucket and New York. The US Navy is also a customer.
Navier N30 electric hydrofoil
Yet the plan is to extend access to the company’s hydrofoil networks to the general public, on demand via an app, now being developed, making them a kind of maritime Uber Black. Eventually, the intention is to compete with public transportation networks, moving both people and goods. That, it’s hoped, could be a game changer for the economies of island nations dependent on boats and seaplanes and especially those driven by tourism. Last year, the Maldives had 2.2 million tourists.
Navier N30 electric hydrofoil
‘This is an ambitious project and will, I think, take a lot of educating the market,’ Bhattacharyya suggests. ‘Hydrofoils are not widely understood [by the public] and inevitably there’s a lot of scepticism, at least before there’s an experience of their “magic carpet” ride. The maritime market is [in contrast] rather antiquated.’ The upsides – in terms of reduced sound and pollution – are definitely worth the trouble.