HUMBLE landing craft John Duigan has racked up a major achievement this week, accomplishing 1,000 voyages to King Island in the demanding conditions of Bass Strait.
The purpose-built vessel was delivered from a Malaysian shipyard in 2018 for Bass Island Line’s (BIL) weekly service between Devonport and Grassy.
BIL owner TasPorts said the service underpins the island’s economy and way of life, having carried, over almost a decade, over 480,000 tonnes of product, more than 25,000 head of cattle, and 3,000 vehicles. It has served as the major carrier of liquid fuels for homes and businesses, and supported major infrastructure projects and community health initiatives.
BIL general manager Toby Terry said the milestone reflected the scale but also the reliability of the King Island service.
“Vessels like the John Duigan are a lifeline for remote island communities, transporting essential goods and services.”
“Week in, week out — often in challenging Bass Strait conditions, John Duigan has supported King Island when it matters most.
“This milestone is a celebration of island life, and the people who work behind the scenes to keep our remote ports operating for the benefit of all Tasmanians,” Mr Terry said.
Beyond commercial freight, the John Duigan has supported public health initiatives like bringing the breast screening bus and bone density bus to the island, giving the community access to essential health services at home, without needing to travel to the mainland.
The vessel provided vital support during the 2024 drought, maintaining freight certainty for producers and businesses at a time of real need.
In 2026, several major infrastructure projects including the construction of the new Telstra telecommunications tower at Grassy; three replacement wind turbines for Hydro Tasmania; and the delivery of road maintenance plant, equipment and materials, were all supported by the John Duigan’s service.
John Duigan unloading at the Port of Grassy. Images: TasPorts / Rob Burnett Images
“Voyage 1000 is more than just a number. It represents BIL’s enduring commitment to King Island, its producers, businesses, and families.”
“BIL would like to sincerely thank all of our customers, community members and business partners for their continued support and loyalty.
"Their trust in our service is greatly appreciated, and we remain committed to providing everyone a safe and dependable freight service that keeps island communities connected.” Mr Terry said.
The milestone comes as BIL prepares for the scheduled routine maintenance of John Duigan in August this year.
BIL will provide its regular weekly service using an interim charter vessel the Investigator II, for up to eight weeks, before the John Duigan returns to service in October.
That Tasmanian Government, through TasPorts and BIL, took over the King Island supply responsibility after previous provider Searoad Shipping replaced Searoad Mersey with a larger newbuild, Searoad Mersey II, which was too big to use Grassy Harbour. No commercial tender was deemed reliable and affordable.
John Duigan initially alternated between Melbourne and Devonport calls but in 2022 BIL streamlined the vessel’s operations by striking a deal with Searoad to feed cargo to/from Melbourne on the latter’s daily Melbourne-Devonport service.