Australian ferry operator TT-Line has received the official go-ahead to order a long-mooted pair of ropaxes at a foreign shipyard.

It is widely expected to finalise orders for two 48,000-gt, LNG-fuelled ropaxes booked under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions in last February.

The decision was announced on Monday by the Tasmania state government, which last July put the brakes on the Rauma order while it investigated building the ships in Australia.