According to the strategy, the construction of new ferries is to take place with a support mechanism that ensures a dual-use capability between the civilian and military spheres. In the face of intensifying global competition and growing dependencies on third-country ship production, the Strategy introduces measures to strengthen these critical industries, structured around three main pillars.

The dual-use capability concerning ferries is mentioned in the third pillar ‘Secure and Protect’. “Secure and Protect seeks to bolster Europe’s naval, underwater, dual-use and military mobility capabilities to step up security and resilience. It mobilises various instruments to support the naval production capacity, strengthen EU-level maritime domain awareness, and pursue a dual-use ferry construction support mechanism with enhanced military specifications.”