Australian shipping firm SeaRoad said it has ordered one LNG-powered vessel at German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG).
The new roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ship will join LNG-powered Searoad Mersey II, also built by FSG, and replace charter vessel Liekut to operate on Bass Strait between Melbourne and Devonport, according to a statement by SeaRoad.
It should join the fleet in the last quarter of 2023.
Moreover, the price tag reached more than 100 million euros ($117 million) while FSG would start construction on the 210-meters-long vessel in late 2021, SeaRoad said.
The ship will feature the “latest technology, including LNG power, as part of SeaRoad’s commitment to sustainable practices,” it said.
It will have a capacity of 4,227 lane meters and capability to transport heavy cargo with a unit weight of up to 100 tonnes.
At over 40,000 tonnes gross, this would be the largest freight vessel in SeaRoad’s history, providing more transport options for local agriculture, aquaculture and manufacturing industries, the firm said.