The North Sea island of Norderney is planning important innovations

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Endless sandy beaches, picturesque dunes and a fresh North Sea breeze – all of this is available on the North Sea island of Norderney. It is not for nothing that the East Frisian island is considered a popular holiday destination: Almost three million people stay here every year.

But the island is also impressive when it comes to sustainability: In 2020, Norderney was the only German town to make it into the top 100 most sustainable destinations worldwide.

There will soon be a very special innovation on the island that will benefit tourists and locals alike: AG Reederei Norden-Frisia is building its first electrically powered catamaran, which will soon be heading to the North Sea island several times a day.

Sustainable revolution on the holiday island of Norderney

The shipping company had already started building the “E-Kat” in the summer of 2023. In the future it will run the route between the coastal district of Norddeich and the island of Norderney – and completely emission-free. The ship is also loaded in a CO₂-neutral manner using solar roofs.

So far it is ferries like this that connect Norddeich with the North Sea islands.Image: dpa / Lars Penning

The “E-Kat” is part of a comprehensive sustainability concept from AG Reederei Norden-Frisia. “Our long-term goal is to create a closed cycle of electricity production and consumption,” shipping company board member Carl-Ulfert Stegmann was quoted as saying in a press release at the start of construction.

Measures for self-sufficient energy production are therefore being implemented. The first parking areas in Norddeich covered with photovoltaic systems have already been completed. All of the company’s other buildings are also checked for suitability and equipped with PV systems.

Mystery about the appearance of the electric catamaran

So far, however, no one knows what the “E-Kat” will really look like. The winners of a design competition that runs until October 2023 have not yet been announced. However, press articles from last year contain the first mockups of the ship, which may provide clues to the future design of the “E-Kat”.

Norderney is one of the most popular North Sea islands.Image: imago images / JanisMEYER/Priller&MAUG

Sustainable crossing to Norderney will soon be possible

According to the shipping company, the “E-Kat” will be the first purely electric catamaran under the German flag. With a speed of 19 knots, the journey time to Norderney will only be 30 minutes. In Norddeich, the ship should be fully loaded in around 28 minutes and then ready for the next trip.

The “E-Kat” was actually supposed to do its first laps in the North Sea in June. The start has now been postponed to September. The plan is to use the ship in the high season and to sail to the island of Norderney up to eight times a day.

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