Already we build ships that have lower emissions than our steel competitors as aluminium is only a third the weight of steel, meaning vessels require less power and consume the lowest possible amount of fuel already reducing each ships carbon footprint."

Robert Clifford explains his predictions: "with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) requiring a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions for new builds from 2025 and a reduction of the world fleet's overall emissions by 40% from 2030 new opportunities are arising on a scale never before experienced.

On my recent overseas trip, I met with some of the world's largest passenger and vehicle ferry companies many of which are current customers and the appetite for fully electric lightweight ferries was staggering.

Over the next decade there will be tens of thousands of vessels that will need to be replaced or refitted and Incat is ideally placed to deliver the world's first high-speed lightweight ships that are fully electric with zero emissions.

Incat is already a world leader in building lighter and stronger ships and now we are going to be the world leader in building lighter, stronger, fully electric, zero emission ferries.

This will mean a doubling if not tripling of our workforce, back up to more than 1500 jobs here at Prince of Wales Bay with a similar increase in contractors and other support services for our operation.

We will need more employees and possibly even another yard once we reach capacity here at the current site. We are also going to need the right strategic advice and support to enable us to grow as quickly as we will need to. "

Former Tasmanian Premier and Climate Change Minister, Peter Gutwein will join the Incat team in the New Year as Strategic Advisor

Robert Clifford said “we are delighted to have former Tasmanian Premier and Climate Change Minister Peter Gutwein joining our team. As we position the company for significant growth his knowledge and experience will be valuable as we deal with the rapidly expanding low-emission (electric) global market.

While we see some competitors continue to construct ships overseas in low-wage economies and with significant incentives offered by some locations, Incat remains committed to manufacturing in Australia.

Peter is enthusiastic to work with Incat to support our future growth which means jobs and investment for Tasmania. The Incat appointment will see Peter working with the shipyard management on a regular basis, in one of several roles he has taken up since stepping down from Parliament and as Premier of Tasmania earlier this year.

The engineers, designers and research & development teams at Incat and Revolution Design have been working towards the Electric Revolution for several years and anticipate exciting times ahead. We are delighted to have someone of Peter’s calibre providing strategic advice along the journey.