Ferries from Hjelmeland ferjekai

The world's first hydrogen-powered car ferry works this route. MF Hydra crosses between Hjelmeland, Nesvik and Skipavik on Riksvei 13 east of Stavanger, burning nothing — and the ferry alongside it, MF Nesvik, is electric. For a county road crossing in Ryfylke, that is an unusual amount of engineering.

MF Hydra, in numbers

• 4 tonnes of liquid hydrogen in storage.
• Two 200 kW fuel cells.
• A battery bank of 1.36 to 1.5 MWh.
• Two 440 kW diesel generators as backup.

She entered service with Norwegian Maritime Authority approval on 31 March 2023, the first vessel of her kind anywhere. The route's three ferries are Hydra, Nesvik and Hjelmeland; capacity is around 80 cars, 10 lorries and 299 passengers.

⚠ It is a triangle, not a crossing

The service links three quays — Hjelmeland, Nesvik and Skipavik — rather than shuttling between two. Not every departure calls at every quay, and the pattern changes through the day.

Read the specific sailing rather than assuming a boat leaving Hjelmeland is going where you are going. This is the most common mistake on a route that otherwise behaves like any other Norwegian road ferry.

Where the road goes

Riksvei 13 runs through Ryfylke, inland from the Stavanger region and north toward the Hardanger area. Our timetable holds 112 active sailings across the route's legs.

It is a working link rather than a scenic one, though the fjord country around it is the same landscape that draws people to Lauvvik and the Lysefjord further south.

Practicalities

No reservations. Vehicles board in arrival order, AutoPASS bills the number plate automatically, and foot passengers cross free. Operated by Norled.

The hydrogen operation makes no difference at the ramp — no different procedure, no restriction on what you may carry. You would not know unless you read the hull.