Australian fast ferry builder Austal is to pay substantial compensation to Sweden’s Stena Rederi for infringing a patent relating to the hull design of high speed vessels.

The compensation was agreed by mediation after Austal lost an Australian federal court action over the Stena patent and suffered a further defeat in the appeal court.

Stena’s 40 knot 1,500 passenger catamaran ferry Stena Explorer built by Finnyards in 1996.