Türkiye study offers lessons for large-scale ferry electrification
Electrifying Türkiye’s Sea of Marmara ferry network could substantially cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, while offering practical lessons for similar projects worldwide, according to a new study developed under the IMO GreenVoyage2050 programme. The study assessed 67 Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ferries operating across 26 ports in the Sea of Marmara, a network carrying around 25 million passengers and seven million vehicles each year.
The study was initiated by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye and supported through IMO’s GreenVoyage2050 Programme.
Significant potential to cut emissions
The study found that battery-electric and hybrid propulsion are technically feasible options across all Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferry operations assessed in the Sea of Marmara. Different routes require different solutions depending on sailing distance, charging opportunities and operating patterns, but the study found no fundamental technical barrier to electrification. The main challenges to deployment at scale include charging infrastructure, upfront capital investment, coordinated energy planning and domestic regulatory issues, such as infrastructure permitting and restrictions on ports selling self-generated electricity to the grid.
Under the study’s optimum modelling scenario, which combines hybrid and fully electric vessels to balance emission cuts against cost, annual greenhouse gas emissions from the ferry network could be reduced by around 63% by 2050 compared with a business-as-usual scenario, in which ferries continue to operate on conventional diesel. The transition could also substantially reduce local air pollution and avoid an estimated €492 million in cumulative health and environmental damage costs.
Electrification also allows ships to run on low-carbon electricity, making it an important enabler of shipping decarbonization. The cleaner the electricity, the greater the benefit. Going further than the optimum scenario, converting the entire fleet to fully electric operation would raise the reduction to 84% by 2050, and to as much as 95% if Türkiye’s electricity grid decarbonizes in line with its 2053 net-zero target. Securing a reliable supply of low-carbon electricity at ports, through the national grid, green electricity contracts and renewable generation at ports themselves, will therefore be central to realizing the full benefits of electrification.
The findings are relevant beyond Türkiye. Many ferry networks operate on predictable routes between fixed ports, making them potentially well suited to electrification. The Sea of Marmara study illustrates how coordinated planning across vessels, ports, charging infrastructure, low-carbon electricity supply and financing can help translate this potential into practical projects.
Building on Türkiye’s shipbuilding strength
For Türkiye, electrification could build on the country’s established shipbuilding expertise, strengthen domestic clean technology industries and improve energy security by reducing reliance on imported marine fuels in favour of domestically generated increasingly renewable electricity. The study estimates that investment under the optimum scenario could support up to around 1,100 jobs a year on average to 2050, with vessel construction and retrofit jobs expected to be concentrated in Turkish shipyards.
The Sea of Marmara offers particularly favourable conditions for early deployment, with its dense ferry network, strong municipal involvement, experienced private operators and existing shipbuilding capability. Together, these strengths can contribute towards positioning Türkiye as a regional leader in electric ferry deployment.
Officials from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, said: “Türkiye has already established itself as a leading shipbuilding nation, including in the construction of electric ferries for international markets. This study demonstrates that we are equally well placed to accelerate electrification at home, delivering cleaner transport, strengthening energy security and creating long-term opportunities for our maritime economy.”
Moving towards implementation
To move from these pre-feasibility findings to implementation, the study recommends a coordinated approach involving government, municipalities, ports, ferry operators and the energy sector. Priority actions include:
- expanding shore-side charging infrastructure and and high-voltage grid connections at ports, supported by long-term port concessions that include charging infrastructure;
- securing a low-carbon electricity supply at ports, including by allowing ports to generate, use and sell locally produced low-carbon electricity;
- introducing targeted financial incentives, mobilizing blended finance, and using emissions-based port fees to encourage cleaner vessels;
- integrating electrification into transport and energy planning;
- embedding environmental criteria into public ferry procurement; and
- supporting detailed feasibility studies and pilot projects that can demonstrate commercial viability before wider deployment.
The study drew on collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, the energy regulator, ferry operators, ports, municipalities, academia, financial institutions and other stakeholders. Two stakeholder workshops held in Istanbul in September 2025 and February 2026 helped validate the analysis and refine its recommendations to reflect operational realities and national priorities.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure are now looking to advance a first pilot electrification project in the Sea of Marmara to demonstrate the technical, environmental and commercial benefits identified in the study. The programme welcomes engagement with development partners, financial institutions, investors and industry stakeholders interested in supporting this next phase.
About GreenVoyage2050
The GreenVoyage2050 Programme is supporting developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping, in line with the IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. Through technical assistance, capacity building, policy support and pilot projects, the programme helps countries identify practical pathways towards maritime decarbonisation while fostering innovation, investment and international collaboration.
The programme is technology- and fuel-neutral, responding to pilot project proposals submitted by countries through annual open calls for expression of interest to participate in the Programme. GreenVoyage2050 is funded by the Governments of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
