WITH Spirit of Tasmania IV now undergoing final fit-out in Hobart the Tasmanian Government has announced that sister Spirit of Tasmania V will remain in Europe until the first half of 2026.
With neither vessel able to enter service until the new TT Line East Devonport terminal is completed, expected In September/October 2026, the government still has the problem of where to moor the vessels in the interim.
Spirit of Tasmania IV reached Hobart on Saturday morning after its 27,515km journey from Leith, Scotland, where its seven-month lay-up is reported to have cost $6.4 million.
It is berthed at the port’s Macquarie 2/3 where work will include installation of locally-sourced tabletops, mattresses, artwork and electrical, medical and galley equipment. Early crew and staff training will also be undertaken.
While this activity is expected to take two months, Spirit IV will then relocate to a Victorian port to free Hobart berths for the 2025-26 cruise ship season. TT Line chairman Ken Kanofski told the ABC at the weekend the ship will need to be located at a non-working berth, otherwise will have to be fully-crewed at additional cost.
Initially it will undertake berthing trials in Geelong. Meanwhile, a new ‘berthing gantry’ is begin fabricated in China for the East Devonport terminal, Mr Kanofski said.
DCN understands a likely destination is the former BAE Systems outfitting jetty at Williamstown, Melbourne where the RAN’s landing helicopter dock ships Adelaide and Canberra were completed 2023-15. The facility has been unused since and has been offered for sale.
For similar reasons of cruise season priority Spirit of Tasmania V will stay in Europe, being first moved from the construction yard at RMC in Finland by November 2025 to ensure it’s not trapped by winter sea ice. The government has not indicated where this ship will also spend time in Leith.
The government said the decision to keep Spirit V in Europe, rather than sail it to Australia following Spirit IV’s arrival, was also informed by the need to have sufficient personnel available for peak-season TT Line twice-daily sailings by existing vessels Spirit of Tasmania I and II.