Incat, the Australian fast ferry specialist, has won its first newbuilding contract in over nine months.
The Tasmanian-based shipbuilder is to build a 76-metre-high speed catamaran for South Korea's Daezer Construction. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The Robert Clifford-led company said work on the new multi-hull vessel has already started with delivery scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.
Daezer plans to deploy the vessel on a route between Pohang and Ulleung, an island 117 nautical miles off the eastern coast of South Korea where the main economic activity is tourism.
Incat is no stranger to South Korean waters having delivered its first vessel to the region in 1995, the Incat hull 037, Sunflower.
"Sunflower served Ulleung island for 25 years and was only recently retired by Daezer in compliance with South Korean ship age limits," said Clifford.
He said the new craft will "benefit from Incat's evolved tried and proven hull form", with its new bow arrangement and will "lead the local market" in terms of seakeeping for vessels of its size.
"The 76 metre is expected to be a successful model for the future with the first of this type due for delivery to another South Korean operator, SeaWorld Express Ferries, at the end of March this year," said Clifford.
Incat Tasmania chief executive Tim Burnell said that in these continuing days of Covid-19, the new order was “exceptionally good news for the yard”.
"At Incat we are fortunate to have the best quality, most highly experienced workforce in the global fast ferry industry and we are pleased to add this new vessel to those recently delivered to our customers around the world," he said.
In March last year, Incat missed out on the opportunity to build two ropax vessels for a domestic route after fellow Tasmanian company TT-Line opted to order the ships abroad.
