Australian shipbuilder Austal and Sweden’s Gotland Company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the design of Gotland’s next high-speed catamaran, Horizon X, which will operate on hydrogen and other fossil-free fuels.
Horizon X is a 130 metre long high-speed catamaran and will be used in the traffic between the Swedish mainland and the island of Gotland. It will be able to run at 35 knots, while transporting 1,650 passengers and up to 450 vehicles.
Under the MOU, Austal and the Gotland Company will develop the design for the high-speed catamaran with a multi-fuel solution, that allows it to also operate on fossil free fuels, including hydrogen.
Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotland said “This is an important step in our climate journey. We are working on developing our future ships, and in 2022 we presented the second ship model in our Horizon series: Gotland Horizon X. The vessel will be a very good addition to the traffic between the Swedish mainland and Gotland. She will be used foremost during the summer months and make the trip to and from Gotland in under three hours.”
Austal CEO Paddy Gregg commented that “this agreement with the Gotland Company confirms Austal is ready to finalise the design, ready for construction, of a new 130 metre, hydrogen powered, high-speed catamaran that is yet another pathway forward to net zero emissions.”
