Spirit of Tasmania IV Delayed, Will Not Dock at Geelong Interim Berth
GEELONG, VICTORIA – Teh new Spirit of Tasmania IV ferry will not โdock at it’s planned interim berth โat Point Henry in Geelong, โฃVictoria,โ as originally anticipated. TT-Line has confirmed the vessel is unable to utilise the โคberth due to unforeseen circumstances, prompting a revised plan for its arrival in Australia.
The โขSpirit ofโ Tasmaniaโค IV, currently completing construction in โFinland, was slated to temporarily dock at point Henry while awaiting final fit-out work in Hobart, โTasmania.However,โ TT-Line has now arranged for the ship to travel to scotlandโ in late November, where it will be stored for approximatelyโข six months.
According to TT-Line, storing the vessel in Europeโฃ is a more cost-effective solution than bringing it directly to Australia. “European berths are less expensive โthan any Australian option,” a TT-Line spokesperson stated. Theโข company also noted that maintaining a crew of nine in Europe is significantly โless expensive than the โstaffing requirements in Australia,aiding in crew management.
This decision follows scrutiny of costs associated with the new ferries, with documents recently revealing that options to utiliseโฃ the vesselsโ to address housing or displacement needs โin Scotland and california were rejected inโฃ favour of docking the ship at a cost of around $600,000โข perโ month to Tasmanian taxpayers.
Sister ship, spirit V, is also headingโฃ toโ storage in scotland. Spirit V previously stayed in Leith,Scotland at a cost โof approximately $800,000 a month.
The Spirit of โคTasmania IV is now expected toโค arrive in Australia in the firstโฃ half of next year, initially docking in Hobart for its final fit-out. The move to Scotland is necessitated by the approaching winter conditions in the northern hemisphere, requiring the ship โto leave theโ Finnish shipyard before icy conditions set in.
