Gotland orders Sweden’s first LNG ferry

Sweden’s Rederi AB Gotland has signed a contract with GSI Shipyard in China for a new LNG-powered ro-pax ferry with the capacity to carry 1650 passengers. The company says that once
delivered in 2017, the new LNG ferry will become the first Swedish-flagged passenger vessel powered by LNG. Rederi AB Gotland has had a successful relationship with GSI Shipyard since 1999, when the contract was signed for M/S Visby and M/S Gotland, which were delivered in 2003.

In the years 2006 to 2012 the yard delivered a total of six product tankers to Gotland. Gotland says that it worked together with GSI on the design of the new ferry to create optimal hull lines for reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.

The concept of the ship is a further development of the existing SF1500 ship design. The ferry is a SEK 1 billion (USD 134.9m) investment and the single largest investment in the company’s 150-year history. The company says that following the order, it will focus on creating the necessary LNG supply infrastructure.