Swedish ferry operator Gotlandsbolaget reports that it has signed a letter of intent LOI with Australian shipbuilder Austal covering the design of a 130 meter high speed multi-fuel catamaran able to operate on gaseous hydrogen. Designated Gotland Horizon X, it will be able to travel at 35 knots, carry 1,650 passengers and have space for 450 passenger cars.
The hydrogen-fueled cat will operate on Gotlandbolaget services linking Sweden’s largest island, Gotland in the Baltic Sea, with the Swedish mainland.
“This is an important step in our climate journey. We are working on developing the ships of the future, and in 2022 presented the second ship concept in our Horizon series, Gotland Horizon X. It is a fast-moving catamaran that will be able to run on fossil-free fuels, and which we believe will be an excellent complement to the Gotland traffic. She will be used above all during the summer months and will be able to make the trip between Gotland and the mainland in under 3 hours,” says Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotlandsbolaget.
“The ship’s design is based on Gotland’s and our passengers’ needs to be able to travel with a short crossing time and at competitive prices, without negatively impacting the climate or the environment. In order to minimize the energy requirement and obtain a high degree of efficiency, we develop energy-efficient hulls, minimize weight, optimize energy consumers on board and streamline operations and flows throughout the vessel. Austal is a leader in the development of large catamarans and they are an excellent partner to take Horizon X forward,” says Christer Bruzelius of Gotlandsbolaget affiliate Gotland Tech Development.
Thus far, the largest ferry built by any Austal shipyard has been the 115-meter long high speed vehicle-passenger ferry Express 5 ordered by Molslinjen of Denmark at Austal Philippines
Gotlandsbolaget quotes Austal CEO Paddy Gregg as saying that the LOI confirms that Austal is ready to design and build a 130-meter high-speed catamaran that can be powered by hydrogen and that “will help us on the journey towards zero emissions.”
Gotlandsbolaget has previously presented a concept for a larger passenger and cargo ship, Gotland Horizon, with room for 1,900 passengers and 600 cars. The plan is for at least one of the Horizon ships to be in service by 2030 at the latest.
