Long Beach Gets World's First Hydrofoiling Electric Pilot Boat
The Belfast-based electric boatbuilder Artemis Technologies has sold a specially-adapted version of its hydrofoiling electric speedboat to Jacobsen Pilot Service, the pilotage provider for Port of Long Beach. Artemis launched the first vessel in the newly-designed EF-12 Pilot class in June 2026, and announced the first sale in a social media post on Wednesday.
Artemis says that the EF-12 is the first pilot boat in the world to combine electric propulsion and hydrofoil technology. The technologies are synergistic, the firm says: hydrofoiling gets the hull out of the water, reducing drag and boosting battery range. The heart of the design is a pair of combined hydrofoil-propeller-rudder units, which sit on struts below the centerline.
For busy pilots in need of swift transport, the design can hit 32 knots with four passengers aboard, and it has a range of up to 40 nautical miles at cruising speed - plus a quiet and smooth ride above the waves. During development, Artemis consulted with pilot boat operators from around the world to get feedback, and conducted a series of trials with Cork Pilots at the Port of Cork to perform early testing. The design of the hydrofoils' rudder system allows the operator a high degree of control over yaw, giving the pilot boat an advantage when making contact with the side of a ship's hull and then breaking away, according to Artemis.
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At Long Beach, the EF-12 design will see considerable use and a high degree of public exposure. The San Pedro Bay port complex is the busiest container hub in the Western Hemisphere, and Jacobsen facilitates more than 7,000 vessel movements in and out of the harbor every year. For the operator, it will save the expense of 40,000 gallons of diesel per year - upwards of $200,000 at current prices - and will reduce CO2 emissions by 400 tonnes annually. For the port, it means a reduction in NOx, SOx and PM emissions, which are priority targets because of their health effects.
The Port of Long Beach is supporting the purchase of the Artemis pilot boat with funds from the state of California's Port and Freight Infrastructure Program. Long Beach holds $380 million in two grant awards from the program, and is using the funding to pursue zero-emissions initiatives and rail improvements.
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