Austal to Build Biggest Ferry for Molslinjen

The order is follow-up to the 109-meter high-speed ferry Express 4, delivered to Molslinjen in January 2019. Image courtesy Austal

Western Australia-based Austal has won an order to build a 115-meter high-speed catamaran for Danish ferry operator Molslinjen.

The vessel will be the largest ferry ever built by Austal. The vessel comes at a price tag of 83.65 million euros (~USD$92 million).

The order is follow-up to the 109-meter high-speed ferry Express 4, delivered to Molslinjen in January 2019.

Austal says the new Auto Express 115 will be fitted with a new generation of LNG-ready medium speed engines. It will come with a capacity of 1,610 passengers and 450 cars over 2 vehicle decks. With a service speed of up to 37 knots, the vessel will be operated on a route between Ystad, Sweden and Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

Construction will commence in the third quarter of 2020 at Austal’s facility in the Philippines with delivery schedule for the first quarter of 2022.

“To be designed in Henderson over a 12 month period and then built at our state-of-the-art shipbuilding facility in Balamban in the Philippines, the catamaran will feature Austal’s signature raked-bow and optimised hull form, and an LNG-capable medium-speed power plant that offers a powerful, yet economical and environmentally-friendly solution,” said Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton.

Austal said the contract is the shipbuilding contract referred to in Austal’s trading halt request on October 23. “That announcement was made to enable the parties to resolve the security arrangements under the shipbuilding contract and as a result Austal requests an end to the current trading halt in place,” Austal said.

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