Marine

In what is being described as a world-first, a 222-meter (728-ft) vehicle-carrying ferry has autonomously navigated a 240-km (149-mile) stretch of Japan's Iyonda Sea. The vessel even performed the docking procedures on its own.

Stand-up paddleboards, powered surfboards and even hydrofoiling boards are all becoming more popular, but buying one of each could get expensive. That's where the modular XFoil comes in, as it can serve as all three – if you opt for enough extras.

For people living in coastal regions or along rivers, commuting to certain places by water is always going to be quicker than using land-based transit. The NepShuttle is designed to let them continue to do so, while minimizing their carbon footprint.

One of the big complaints about power boats is the fact that they bring noise and pollution to lakes that should be pristine. Electric boats address those problems, and one of the latest – from Pure Watercraft – was developed in partnership with GM.

French company Airseas has installed its first half-size automated Seawing kite to a cargo ship chartered by Airbus, and will commence six months of trials in January. The full-size kite is estimated to save up to 20 percent of fuel burn and emissions.

Combining two forms of sustainable energy into one, Swiss Sustainable Yachts' Aquon One catamaran harnesses solar energy to create its own hydrogen, powering a fuel cell drive to potentially limitless autonomy.

Swedish outfit Radinn has added a third model to its lineup of electric wakeboards, which it describes as its sportiest and most durable yet, with a redesigned hull built to endure some heavy knocks and a quad-fin setup to customize your ride.

After sending a fleet of self-sailing drones into the path of Hurricane Sam to help improve forecast models, Saildrone has now launched three uncrewed surface vehicles into the Gulf Stream winter to gather data on carbon uptake in the ocean.

Florida's Triton Submarines has created "the world's first submersibles with a free-form acrylic hull." It's pitching the new nine-seat 660/9 as a unique underwater experience venue for weddings, fine dining, casino-style gambling or cocktails.

In recent years, we've heard about electric surfboards, bodyboards, hydrofoil boards and underwater scooters. Buying all of those separately could get pretty expensive, which is why the mo-jet system combines them in one modular setup.

A future-focused ship designed as the world's first all-electric, autonomous cargo vessel has debuted in Norway, where it is intended to replace 40,000 diesel-powered truck journeys every year and significantly reduce NOx and CO2 emissions.

Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has announced he's challenged his team to get the world's first ammonia-powered ship into service by 2022, following their rapid success with hydrogen mining trucks and ammonia-powered locomotives.