A ship worth 1.3 billion! Austal wins Swedish high-speed ferry order

Recently, Austal Australia announced that it has received an order from Gotlandsboraget, a Swedish company, to design and build a hydrogen ready passenger ferry.
This new 130 meter long high-speed passenger roll on/roll off catamaran will be the largest ship built by Austal to date. Its characteristic is equipped with a unique and efficient combined cycle propulsion system, including a steam turbine and a steam turbine, which is the first of its kind in the field of high-speed ships. The value of new ship orders is approximately AUD 265 million to AUD 275 million (approximately RMB 1.223 billion to RMB 1.269 billion).
As part of Gotlandbolaget's Horizon X program, the vessel will be independently designed by Austal and can transport up to 1500 passengers, cargo, and 400 motor vehicles. It is expected that the construction will start in the first half of 2026 at Austal Philippines Shipyard and be completed in the middle of 2028. The ships will be made of green aluminum and produced using energy-saving processes and technologies, with low carbon emissions.
Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said, "Horizon X is a very exciting project that will redefine the capabilities of commercial ferries, featuring a combined cycle power unit with multiple fuel and hydrogen capabilities, and adopting the leading efficient hull design in its class. The flexible fuel technology showcased by this ship is leading the decarbonization transformation of commercial ferries, and we are proud to be at the forefront of delivering this industry-leading new ferry in partnership with Gotlandbolaget
Gotlandbolaget CEO H å kan Johansson pointed out that the design of Horizon X not only considers speed and efficiency, but also sustainability, adopting cutting-edge green technologies including hydrogen reservation and efficient turbine propulsion system. This ship is an important step towards our climate neutral operational strategy, built with lightweight green aluminum and featuring advanced fluid power design to minimize fuel consumption and emissions
It is reported that Austal and Gotlandsbolaget signed a letter of intent for the Horizon X project as early as April 2023, jointly developing a 130 meter fuel powered high-speed passenger ferry for Gotland Island in Sweden. Afterwards, the two companies began collaborating with technology suppliers, selecting preferred primary equipment, and determining system arrangements, including developing unique propulsion systems to repurpose engine exhaust for ship propulsion and reduce emissions.
At the beginning of last year, Austal and Gotlandsbolaget signed a memorandum of understanding for this new ship project. In October of the same year,
In October 2024, the project received principle approval from DNV, confirming that its vessel design complies with the relevant requirements of international safety regulations for gas fuel ship installations (hydrogen) and ships using gas or other low flash point fuels.
According to official website data, Gotlandbolaget was founded in 1865 and currently owns and operates five ferries, namely the Drotten, Gotland, Visborg, Visby, and Birka Gotland.