THE SECOND of TT Line’s newbuilding ro-paxes for Bass Strait, Spirit of Tasmania V, successfully completed a second round of sea trials in the Bothnia Gulf at the weekend and has now returned to builder Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland ahead of handover.
Sister Spirit of Tasmania IV remains in lay-up in Leith, Scotland with preparations underway for a departure for the six-week voyage to Tasmania, expected later this month. The ship will undergo final outfitting in Hobart but the Tasmanian Government and TT Line have yet to reveal where the ship will be located until the much-delayed East Devonport terminal is completed, now anticipated to be October 2026.
TasPorts has announced that a new purpose-built biosecurity inspection terminal will soon be under construction in East Devonport as part of TasPorts’ QuayLink redevelopment, which it says will strengthen Tasmania’s biosecurity protections while minimising traffic impacts for local road users and ferry passengers.
Developed in partnership with Biosecurity Tasmania, the terminal will streamline inspection processes for incoming freight trucks from both TT-Line and SeaRoad, with TasPorts chief executive Anthony Donald saying the facility is designed to match the peak disembarkation rate of the ferries.
“The terminal ensures freight trucks can be processed efficiently and safely without disrupting general traffic flow or delaying passenger vehicles,” he said. “The new inspection area, located off Wright Street, includes dual lanes with capacity for up to six trucks at a time and safer access for heavy vehicles.
“It also incorporates a key requirement from the project’s traffic impact assessment, allowing for trucks to be held on-site if a vehicle requires further attention by Biosecurity Tasmania, avoiding congestion on surrounding roads.”
TasPorts has appointed Tasmanian civil construction company GradCo to deliver the works, which are expected to be completed in August.
Image: Bluebridge / LinkedIn
Meanwhile, StraitNZ’s latest acquisition for Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries, Livia, has left the Fayard Shipyard at Odense in Denmark and is to make a couple of port calls in Europe to load a cargo of cars and trucks before heading to Wellington via the Panama Canal.
The former Stena Livia, previously employed between Germany and Latvia, underwent a routine service and regulatory clearance drydock, along with name and livery change, and is expected in NZ on or about 1 July.
It is due to start Cook Strait service in August 2025, taking on Connemara's schedule while Connemara is at drydock and will eventually replace Strait Feronia later in the year. Although built in 2008, ironically Livia will be the newest ferry on Cook Strait, accommodating up to 2,255 lane metres of freight and up to 500 passengers per sailing.