Incat Tasmania has acquired a 12-hectare site in the Derwent Valley, located north-west of Hobart, Australia, to double its current shipbuilding capacity and workforce.
The expansion plan for the site includes the construction of a 240 x 120meter production facility, with capacity to construct three large ships at one time.
Incat CEO Stephen Casey said: “Incat is leading the industry by building the world’s largest electric ferry, and our goal over the next 5-10 years is to build on that success and produce multiple electric ships for the global market while expanding our workforce. The new production facility is vital for us to achieve that.”
The new site will allow Incat to construct hulls and decks at the new Boyer site and then transport theme down the River Derwent to its existing Prince of Wales Bay shipyard to be completed.
Incat Chairman Robert Clifford said: “I predict more than 1,000 new sustainable ships will be needed to satisfy the global market over the next decade. Domestically there will be a need for more vessels in locations such as Sydney Harbour, and in Europe there will be a need for much larger vessels of up to 170 meters in length with the capacity to carry up to 1,000 passengers. Incat is one of the few shipyards in the world capable of constructing large, lightweight, electric ships to meet that demand.”
The new production facility will feature nearly 30,000 square meters of undercover production area, bringing Incat’s total undercover production space across both sites to around 100,000 square meters, equivalent to 10 hectares.
The site will be prepared for construction of the new production facility in the coming months, with vessel construction set to begin at the facility in 2026.