One of the new Spirit of Tasmania ships has arrived in Hobart, but it is more than a year away from being ready to ferry passengers between Tasmania and Victoria.
Spirit of Tasmania IV and V have greater capacity for passengers, vehicles and freight than the two aging ships currently in operation.
Spirit IV arrived in Hobart today following a 27,515-kilometre voyage from Scotland, where it had been docked since the completion of construction in Finland.
Spirit of Tasmania IV will have a final fit-out done while in Hobart. (ABC News)
While in Hobart, the ship will undergo a final fit-out, which will include mattresses, tabletops and artwork from 80 Tasmanian businesses.
The Tasmanian government said Spirit V would remain in Finland until November, when it will need to be moved to another location in Europe to avoid sea ice in Finland.
The government said the ship would then head to Tasmania in the first half of next year for a final fit-out.
Spirit of Tasmania IV sailed up the River Derwent on Saturday morning. (Supplied)
Celebration in Devonport for Spirit IV’s arrival
The new ships require a bigger dock, which is currently being built in Devonport.
But construction is not expected to be completed until October 2026, meaning the ships cannot operate until then.
Spirit IV near Devonport’s Mersey Bluff on its way to Hobart. (ABC News: Meg Fergusson)
On its way to Hobart on Friday afternoon, Spirit IV stopped off the coast of its future home.
Locals from across north-west Tasmania flocked to Devonport to see the ship.
“It’s costing us so much money and it’s come so far, that we really hope it will lift our state and bring plenty of visitors in and pay for itself,” Chresley Elphinstone said.
“It’s been a shambles, really, but I just hope they’ve got it all right now — but that port should have been ready a long time ago.”
Kerry Morgan and Chresley Elphinstone of Wynyard watched Spirit IV sail past Devonport. (ABC News: Meg Fergusson)
‘Hurricane-force’ winds caused new Spirit ships to come loose
Devonport Mayor Alison Jarman was ecstatic to finally see the ship.
“She’s beautiful,” she said.
“To see her come out of the mist and be real and for everyone to have a bit of ownership now to say ‘she’s ours.'”
For Ms Jarman, it was a bright moment amid the political turmoil.
“There’s been a lot of angst over the drama of the Spirits,” she said.
“This is a real positive, the people are here to celebrate that beautiful ship that is going to make a huge difference to Tasmania.”
“Everyone’s here, it’s a party.”
Spirit IV will not be operational until a new berth in Devonport is ready, which is expected to be in October next year. (ABC News: Meg Fergusson)
The bungled rollout has caused political turmoil in Tasmania, with the infrastructure minister who oversaw the project losing his job over it.
It was also one of the reasons listed by the Labor opposition for moving a no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff, which led the state to an early election that ultimately saw the re-election of the Liberal government.
Loading…Ship ‘beautifully’ handled rough journey to Australia
Rear Admiral Steve Gilmore, one of the directors of Spirit operator TT-Line, spoke to the ABC over the phone from Spirit of Tasmania IV.
“We had a real test of the ship and its sea-keeping as we came across the Great Australian Bight in winter,” he said.
“She handled it beautifully.”
From Spirit IV, he watched crowds come out in Devonport to catch a glimpse of the ship.
“What we can see through binoculars is cars parked everywhere, and that’s just fantastic,” he said.
“Very excited about bringing this ship home.”
Spirit of Tasmania IV docked in Fremantle en route to Tasmania. (Supplied: TT-Line)
The government has been trying since 2017 to build the new ships, which were initially slated for completion in 2021.
Amid the delays, costs have skyrocketed. The Devonport berth was originally costed at $90 million but has blown out to $493 million.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff acknowledged the challenges in getting the new ships up and running.
“It’s been such a journey to get to this point, not everything has gone right, but in October next year, everything will be running smoothly,” Mr Rockliff said.
Jeremy Rockliff has acknowledged the difficulties in getting the new Spirit ferries up and running. (ABC News: Andrew Cunningham)
‘We have cash’: Spirit operator
Because the new Devonport berth was not ready when the construction of Spirit IV finished, it had to be stored in Scotland.
TT-Line chair Ken Kanofski said the total cost of storing the vessel in Scotland was about $6.4 million, which included fuel, crew and port costs.
“But the cost of berthing the ship here in Hobart is actually higher than that,” Mr Kanofski said.
“This is an active berth — we have to have a full crew of people on this ship at all times because we need to be able to move it.”
Spirit of Tasmania IV ferry arrives in Scotland
Last month, the Tasmanian government announced a temporary $410 million increase to TT-Line’s borrowing limit.
“We have sufficient access to do the things we need to do,” Mr Kanofski said.
“We’re working very closely with [the] Tasmanian Treasury [department] on what our long-term financial needs are and what our long-term financial position is.
“But we have cash, courtesy of the increase in borrowing limit.”Loading…