Travel between islands in the Maldives is about to get easier and cleaner thanks to private investment in a fleet of electric water taxis that promises to improve connectivity and create a sustainable maritime corridor.
Up to 100 electric hydrofoil boats are expected to form the Navier Network between the islands, a $100 million (€87 million) project partnership between San Francisco-based maritime tech firm Navier and Dubai’s JIH Global Investment.
Hydrofoils behave a bit like inverted aircraft wings underwater, creating hydrodynamic lift to allow the boat to glide above the water as it accelerates, cutting down on drag, and reducing noise and disturbance to maritime habitats. Hydrofoil vessels are more efficient than other boats, emitting fewer pollutants.
In the Maldives, an archipelago where almost all journeys involve water transport, their use could represent a significant environmental gain and a huge step towards carbon neutrality by 2030, since the sustainable vessels are expected to replace a proportion of the fuel-powered seaplane and conventional boat journeys made by islanders and over two million visitors every year.
Up to five hydrofoil taxis in the shape of Navier N30s will be introduced to the island network over the coming year, with another 95 to follow by the end of 2029. Each vessels boasts a 75-nautical-mile range in electric mode, increasing to 150 nautical miles for hybrid operations. On-board facilities are set to include lounge seats, air-conditioned cabins, and Starlink Wi-Fi.
For Sampriti Bhattacharyya, founder and CEO of Navier the Maldives is “one of the most important maritime transportation markets in the world” making it “the perfect place to prove that maritime transportation can be cleaner, quieter, standardised, software-driven, and dramatically better for the guest experience. We are not just deploying boats. We are building the first sustainable luxury transportation network on water.”
The boats’ fit with both environmental goals and the premium segment was also a focus for Mohamed Ali Janah, Chairman of JIH Global Investment, who said in a statement: “The Maldives has always been at the frontier of luxury tourism, but as an island nation on the frontlines of climate change, we also have an opportunity to help define what the future of waterborne transportation looks like.”
Expressing ambitions to go beyond the Maldivian market, he explained: “With Navier, we see the potential to build not only a cleaner, more seamless network connecting airports, resorts, villas, and islands, but a scalable blueprint for sustainable maritime transportation, extending beyond the Maldives to island nations and coastal cities around the world.”
