For those who can’t resist the allure of hopping on a ferry to Batam for a quick getaway from it all, boy do we have good news for you. Your trips to the Indonesian city are going to get a lot speedier with the newly announced AirFish Voyager.
This futuristic, hovercraft-like vessel is projected to be operational in the second half of the year, ferrying passengers to and from Singapore and Batam in under half an hour; here’s all you need to know about it.
The AirFish Voyager will be able to fly at a speed of up to 185km/h, thrice that of current ships.
Image credit: ST Engineering
The AirFish Voyager is a wing-in-ground marine craft developed by ST Engineering AirX. The craft can ferry up to 10 people in total including crew members, and it uses aerodynamic forces and air pressure to skim speedily across the water’s surface.
A BatamFast ferry.
Image credit: BatamFast
It was unveiled to the public during the first day of the Singapore Airshow on 3rd February 2026. During which, ST Engineering also announced that they’ll be joining hands with BatamFast to incorporate the AirFish Voyager into the regional ferry operator’s existing fleet of passenger ships.
It was reported that BatamFast could be welcoming passengers aboard the AirFish Voyage on their Singapore-Batam route as early as mid-2026, after being subject to necessary inspections and attaining appropriate certification.
The journey from Singapore to Batam via the AirFish Voyager is expected to last just 25 minutes, much faster than the usual 45 to 60 minutes it takes on regular ferries. The AirFish Voyager is expected to depart from Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, and will arrive at a dock in Batam, most likely either the Batam Centre or Nongsapura Ferry Terminal.
As of writing, the ticket prices for a trip from Singapore to Batam aboard the AirFish Voyager have not been announced. However, it’s been speculated that prices will be more expensive as compared to typical ferry tickets; for reference, a return trip provided by BatamFast costs $76.
This is because the craft will be incurring higher operating costs due to only being able to carry 8 passengers at once, versus the 200 to 300 on a regular ferry. Passengers will also be paying a premium for the AirFish Voyager’s speed.
Tioman Island.
Image credit: Tioman.org
Although there aren’t any finalised plans just yet, Mr Chua Choon Leng, general manager of BatamFast, has stated that they’re looking into deploying the AirFish Voyager on routes to other nearby destinations. These include Malaysia’s Tioman Island, and the islands of Bawah, Telunas, and Bintan in Indonesia.
With January already done and dusted, we don’t have to wait awfully long for the AirFish Voyager to hit our docks. With day trips to JB already starting to get played out, perhaps it’s time to take to the seas for a swift sojourn at our Indonesian neighbours’.
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Cover image adapted from: ST Engineering
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