Sweden orders gas-fuelled ferry from Guangzhou

Rederi AB Gotland says its new ferry, scheduled to be delivered in 2017, will be the first Swedish-flagged LNG-fuelled passenger vessel. This will allow the operator to limit its impact on the environment, Rederi AB Gotland said in a statement.

The contract is worth about SEK1billion (US$135.3million), according to the Visby-based company.

The Swedish firm has been cooperating with Guangzhou Shipyard International since 1999. From 2006 to 2012, the shipbuilder delivered a total of six vessels to Rederi AB Gotland.

Rederi AB Gotland says its fleet of 19 vessels ranges from service vessels for the wind power sector to high-speed ferries for the Gotland route, as well as product tankers carrying refined petroleum products around the world. The four passenger vessels operating the Visby-Nynäshamn/Oskarshamn routes are high-speed ships with capacities of between 700 and 1,500 passengers and 150 to 500 cars. The firm’s tankers range in size from 7,000dwt to 75,000dwt, according to data from Rederi AB Gotland.