Brim Explorer orders battery-powered trimarans

Oslo-based sustainable tourism company, Brim Explorer, has ordered two high-speed trimarans powered by batteries for delivery in spring 2027. The vessels’ hulls, built of advanced composite material, will be manufactured by Herde Kompossit in Hardanger while the vessels will undergo outfitting at Horten Shipyards to the south of Oslo.

It is claimed that the 180-passenger trimarans, developed by the company’s inhouse technology division, Brim Tech, will be the world’s most efficient battery-powered units so far. With a range of 100 nautical miles at 20 knots without recharging, their design has not been modified from those developed to run on fossil fuels – they are ‘electric by design’, the company said.    

Brim Explorer’s co-founder and CTO, Espen Larsen-Hakkebo, commented: “We have been using our existing vessels as test platforms for several years, which has given us unique insights. We know what actually works in real-world conditions, not just in simulations. That´s the difference between developing something that looks good on paper and something that delivers in practice every single day.

Bjørn Angeltveit, CEO of Herde Kompositt and Odda Industrier, said: “This is a prestige project and the most advanced composite structure we have ever built. The combination of low weight, high speed and long distances places extreme demands on both materials and construction methods. The project demonstrates what Norwegian shipbuilding can achieve when the requirements are world-class.”

Brim Explorer’s capital commitment to the project will be its largest investment so far. Furthermore, the NOK 200 million, about USD 20 million, will generate significant ripple effects across shipyards and suppliers of composites, batteries, system integration specialists, and marine outfitters.