"Flying ferries" will soon be crossing the English Channel.
Brittany Ferries announced its proposed craft "foils like a hydrofoil, hovers like a hovercraft and flies like a plane... with the comfort and convenience of a ferry".
These all-electric, sea-skimming gliders are due to travel from Portsmouth England to Cherbourg France in 40 minutes.
The 150-capacity craft is expected to be ready for commercial passengers by 2025.
These zero-emission vehicles, developed in the US by Boston-based start-up REGENT-Regional Electric Ground Effect Naval Transport, will travel at speeds of up to 290 kph (180 mph).
They will be ~6 times faster than conventional ferries, with a battery range of ~290 km (180 miles).
The "Flying Ferries" rise on foils after their departure from a port, prior to taking off and riding a cushion of air a few metres above the water surface for the rest of the trip.
The sea gliders' technology was applied by the Soviets on their Caspian Sea Monster, but only one was ever constructed.