Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat secures third major order for huge electric ferry

The electric revolution at Hobart shipbuilder Incat continues apace, with a fresh order from Scandinavian operator Molslinjen expanding the production line of next-generation ferries.

Hull 102, the first of three battery-electric high-speed ferries currently being built by Incat for Danish operator Molslinjen. Picture: Incat

The electric revolution at Hobart shipbuilder Incat continues apace, with a fresh order from Scandinavian operator Molslinjen expanding the production line of next-generation ferries.

Incat Tasmanian CEO, Stephen Casey, said with the company already working on two battery-electric vessels for the Danish client, the recent request for a third boat demonstrated growing market confidence in the shipyard’s ability to deliver large-scale commercial maritime products.

Mr Casey said the new 129m vessel would provide fast and emissions-free transport across one of Denmark’s busiest domestic corridors.

“This is an important milestone for both organisations,” Mr Casey said. “Molslinjen is leading the way in the decarbonisation of high-speed ferry services in Europe, and we are proud to be delivering vessels that will play a central role in Denmark’s clean-transport future,” he said.

“This additional order reflects Molslinjen’s confidence in our people, our processes and our capability to build the world’s most advanced electric high-speed ferries. Together, we are showing what’s possible when innovation, ambition and real-world operational needs come together.”

Kristian Durhuus, the Molslinjen’s chief executive, said the decision to order a third ferry from Tasmania was based on Incat’s commitment to helping accelerate the green-energy transition.

“By building all three ferries at the same shipyard, we gain clear advantages and valuable learning from the first to the last vessel,” Mr Durhuus said.

“And it is also important for us to have a stable and reliable partner, as we do with Incat.

“We and our owners are taking the lead and trying to show the way forward in the green transition using technology that, until recently, simply did not exist.”

Incat’s growing order book for zero-emissions vessels comes after the company launched the world’s largest electric vehicle –built for a South American buyer – earlier this year.

Originally slated to be a gas-powered vessel, Incat hull 096 instead became the largest battery-electric ship ever constructed.

Equipped with more than 250 tonnes of batteries and designed to carry 2100 passengers and 225 cars on journeys across the River Plate between Argentina and Uruguay, the China Zorrilla was the ninth vessel Incat has built for transport company Buquebus.

The 130m-long ferry - whose 40 megawatt-hours of installed capacity is more than four times the size of the previous record-holder – was described by Incat strategic adviser Peter Gutwein as the global maritime industry’s “first unicorn” at its launch event in May.