A ferry newbuilding already built on speculative basis by Australia's Austal could be chartered out if no buyer emerges.

The shipyard has so far been unable to find an owner willing to pay for the 102-metre long trimaran priced at around AUD 100m ($102.5m)

"We continue to look for a client for it but it's a very difficult marketplace in Europe," Austal chief Andrew Bellamy said.

"If we can't secure a sale during this financial year, we'd look to charter the boat to a commercial operator for the European summer next year."

source:asiasis