Pendennis commence the build of the the UK's first electric tour boat

Woods’ Silver Fleet proudly announce their first zero emissions tourist vessel, with construction underway at Pendennis Shipyard, Cornwall, England.

Designers and owners, the Woods family, have built and crewed sightseeing vessels on the River Thames for over a hundred years, yet are best known for private charter events aboard their fleet of river yachts with recent clients including Google, Net-A-Porter and Lamborghini.

The new boat is the first of its kind in the UK, harnessing developments in ultra light weight, aluminium design and construction technology coupled with an innovative industry first all-battery drive train. Following extensive design and power profiling by Vulkan Marine, the team has settled on an EST Floattech Octopus Series battery bank which will be rapid charged between each tour from a two megawatt shore charging facility (sustainable energy sources).

The Tower of London River Tour focuses their huge breadth of experience and history into the new Woods Tours brand developing a world-leading, all-electric luxury sightseeing fleet. “This new vessel represents the bridge between the past and the future of river tourism, building on the generations of experience the Woods family have operating on the river whilst striving to lead the industry’s push towards sustainability”, says Chris Kangis, CEO, Woods Tours. “We are delighted to partner with Historic Royal Palaces for the Tower of London River Tour. The Tower of London is one of the most significant London landmarks on the river and the perfect match for the tour.”

Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that cares for the Tower of London, has agreed to exclusively partner the first 39m flagship, Thames Explorer, as the official Tower of London River Tour. Pendennis Shipyard, the renowned superyacht build team commissioned by Woods, are building a truly sustainable vessel which will have the capacity to cruise with 250 passengers per tour (500,000 passengers per year).

Toby Allies, Managing Director at Pendennis said “The start of the Thames Explorer project has been an exciting period for the yard and all the team involved. The aluminium construction specified on the project is all built in-house, providing a perfect backdrop for some of our more experienced team members to transfer their skills and knowledge to a whole new generation of fabricators.”

He continued “The client’s requirement for the vessel is also for it to be fully battery-powered - advancing our own in-house capabilities in this area that in turn will transfer to other market sectors that we operate in.”

The circular Thames guided river tour will embark and disembark at Tower Bridge Quay, linked by an atmospheric stone riverside walkway to the Tower of London, and last 40 minutes featuring landmarks old and new including the Palace of Westminster, Tate Modern, London Eye, Traitor’s Gate and Tower Bridge.

The onboard spoken tour experience will be created by British actor, Martha Howe-Douglas, known for her writing and roles in BBC’s international hit series, Ghosts and Horrible Histories. The factual live tour is to be developed with leading historians and delivered with some wry twists of British humour by a trained actor.

Andrew Jackson, CBE, Governor of the Tower of London said; “We are delighted to be partnering with Woods Tours on the first official Tower of London river tour.  For centuries, some of the most famous Kings and Queens in our nation’s history approached the Tower by boat.  Now, even more visitors will be able to experience a unique view of the Tower from the Thames, discovering more about the history of this remarkable place throughout their journey.  We look forward to sharing the story with them!” 

The attention to detail will be apparent throughout the vessel’s design from clean, contemporary lines echoing the heyday of Thames river cruising during the 1920s and 30s with wide, awning-shaded decks, single deck panoramic views, bespoke wool woven carpet from Kidderminster looms and generously upholstered in eco-leather seating.

There will also be 21st century full accessibility, solar gain reducing glazing, sound system and LED lighting. The vessel, built by Pendennis’ experienced team, will support maritime apprenticeships in Falmouth. Due to its innovative design, the project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK. CMDC4 is part of the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative focused on developing the technology necessary to decarbonise the UK domestic maritime sector.

Ticket sales will be launched in winter 2024 with the vessel arriving on the Thames for her first tour in summer 2025.