It’s not every day a shift on the tools leads to a royal encounter, but for a group of Tasmanian shipbuilders – that’s exactly how things unfolded today.
Danish King Frederik and Queen Mary, along with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jeremy Rockliff, toured Hobart shipbuilder Incat where the company is constructing three fully electric high-speed ferries for a Danish operator in a deal worth $3.5 billion.
The royal couple met workers including Lewis Spalding, a third-year welder fabricator apprentice who has worked at the company for two and a half years.
“She came past and shook hands with all of us, all us workers,” Spalding said.
The royal visit provided a brief but memorable break from his usual routine.
“Back to work now. Back to work,” he said.
Tasmanian federal MP Julie Collins said the visit was “terrific for Tasmania”.
“[To] have both their majesties here in our island state and of course Mary’s former home.”
“It’s been terrific for Tasmania, but also really important to see this ferry being built here …. and hearing how important it is for Denmark in terms of meeting their net zero and reducing their emissions today.”
“I mean, we’re pretty biased down here, but we’re impressed with the innovation.”
During the visit, the royals unveiled a commemorative plaque on the vehicle deck of Hull 102, the first of three 129-metre vessels currently under construction for Danish company Molslinjen, which represents the world’s largest electrification project at sea.
Each 129-metre catamaran will carry up to 1500 passengers and 500 cars at speeds of up to 40 knots. The vessels will operate entirely on battery power across Denmark’s Kattegat routes.
The first ferry is due to enter service in late 2027, with the remaining vessels following in 2028 and 2029.
During the visit, the royals also toured Hull 096, China Zorrilla – currently the largest battery-electric vessel of its kind ever built.
The 130-metre ferry features a 40-megawatt-hour battery system weighing 250 tonnes and is scheduled to be shipped to South America this month.
Incat Managing Director Craig Clifford said it was a great honour to welcome the Danish Royal Family to the shipyard.
“It is a privilege for everyone at Incat to host King Frederik and Queen Mary and to showcase the work our team is doing here in Tasmania,” Mr Clifford said.
“Denmark is one of the world’s great maritime nations and we are proud to be partnering with Molslinjen on this remarkable project.”
“Today’s visit is a proud moment for the hundreds of skilled workers helping build these vessels here in Tasmania.”
