Austal Holds Plate-Cutting Ceremony for Gotlandsbolaget's 130-metre Hydrogen-Ready Horizon X

Austal marked the formal start of construction for Horizon X with a plate-cutting ceremony at Austal Philippines in Balamban, Cebu, signalling the build of a 130-metre hydrogen-ready high-speed vehicle/passenger catamaran for Sweden’s Gotlandsbolaget. The ceremony on 5 February 2026 was followed by Austal press notices issued on 8–9 February 2026 and coverage across trade outlets.

Austal describes Horizon X as a “world-leading hydrogen-ready high-speed ferry” and the company called the project the largest it has undertaken at Austal Philippines. Paddy Gregg, Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer, said: “Today’s plate cutting for Horizon X is a proud moment for the Austal team in the Philippines and across the Austal Group. It represents the first major step in bringing this exciting new vessel to life for Gotlandsbolaget.” Gregg added substantive technical framing: “We are delighted to be building Horizon X, a world-leading hydrogen-ready high-speed ferry - and the largest we have ever built - at Austal Philippines. This vessel’s innovative multi-fuel design, including a unique combined cycle propulsion system integrating gas and steam turbines, driven by waste heat recovery, will help redefine efficiency and sustainability in the ferry sector.”

Gotlandsbolaget Chief Executive Officer Björn Nilsson joined Gregg on stage to recognise the start of the build and to underline the operator’s fleet priorities. Nilsson said: “Commencing production of Horizon X is a significant milestone for Gotlandsbolaget. We are pleased to see construction underway and to celebrate this moment alongside Austal and the skilled shipbuilders here in Balamban. This vessel represents a key investment in our future capability, combining speed, capacity and sustainability, and we look forward to working closely with Austal throughout the build.” Wayne Murray, Austal Asia President, hosted the event; other named attendees included Håkan Johansson and Jonas Moberg from Gotlandsbolaget and Oliver Morton from Austal.

Technical and material claims in Austal’s statements and social channels include a multi-fuel, combined-cycle propulsion arrangement and construction “built using lightweight green aluminium.” Clean Shipping International and trade coverage repeated the propulsion description and noted that Austal Philippines has delivered more than 20 vessels to operators worldwide since 2012. Some reports used the term steel-cutting while Austal and others used plate-cutting to describe the same milestone.

Austal’s LinkedIn post added that hull fabrication will commence in the first half of 2026 and that delivery is scheduled for mid-2028; those schedule items come from the company’s social media post and are not corroborated elsewhere in the press coverage. Social commentary on Austal’s post flagged practical trade questions: LinkedIn commenter Henry Hoiting warned that “Hydrogen-ready only holds if the conversion pathway is designed, not just reserved,” and Ewan McMillan posted that “NEM Energy Group is proud to be partner of this project and development with our ultra light boilers and process design.” Those remarks reflect industry reaction and partner claims posted on social media.

For catamaran builders, operators and ferry watchers, Horizon X is worth tracking for its scale, aluminium construction approach and the combined-cycle propulsion claims. The next watchpoints are hull fabrication in H1 2026, supplier confirmations for the combined-cycle system and any class or conversion details that spell out what “hydrogen-ready” will actually mean in service.