Rederi AB Gotland has signed a contract with GSI Shipyard in China to build a RoPax ferry with a capacity for 1,650 passengers. The ship will be operated by chilled natural gas, LNG, with significant environmental improvement. The ship will be delivered in 2017, becoming the first Swedish-flagged passenger ship with LNG operation and means of sustainable development of Gotland traffic with greater capacity and less environmental impact.
Rederi AB Gotland has had a successful relationship with GSI Shipyard since 1999 when a contract was signed for the ferries Visby and Gotland, delivered in 2003. The yard has also delivered a total of six product tankers to the shipping company between 2006 and 2012.
The new vessel is a billion investment and the largest single investment in the company’s 150-year history. Destination Gotland has started work to provide facilities for the new ship including supply of LNG as well as infrastructure and conditions in ports.