Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat has been named 2026 Tasmanian Exporter of the Year after securing two major honours at the Tasmanian Export Awards.
The company first won the Manufacturing and Advanced Materials Award for constructing three 129-metre battery-electric ferries for Danish operator Molslinjen, then received the evening's top honour.
The three vessels, Incat Hulls 102, 103 and 104, are under construction at the Hobart shipyard. Once completed, they will be the largest electric ferries in Europe and form part of what the company describes as the world's largest electrification project at sea.
The recognition follows the recent delivery of Incat Hull 096, a 130-metre battery-electric ship built for South American operator Buquebus. The vessel, which departed Hobart in August bound for South America, is currently the world's largest battery-electric ship.
Incat Managing Director Craig Clifford said the award reflected global interest in the company's work. "We are building ships in Tasmania that are attracting attention around the world and helping to demonstrate what is now possible with large-scale electric vessels," he said.
Clifford attributed the recognition to the company's workforce. "Innovation is a big part of what we do, but none of it happens without our people. These awards are a credit to the skill, dedication and hard work of our entire workforce, from our designers and engineers through to the hundreds of tradespeople bringing these ships to life."
He described the delivery of Hull 096 as "an extraordinary achievement" that, alongside the Molslinjen build, reflects Tasmania's shipbuilding heritage and its role in "the next generation of clean, electric shipping."
Incat also won the Sustainability and Green Economy Award at the 2025 Tasmanian Export Awards for its work in maritime decarbonisation, part of what the company calls the world's most advanced aluminium electric shipbuilding program, now underway at Hobart.
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