AFTER a troubled gestation SeaRoad Shipping’s new Bass Strait ro-ro Searoad I was launched at Germany’s Flensburger Shipyard (FSG) on Friday [7 November].
The 43,090 GT vessel, a larger and improved version of Searoad Mersey II delivered by the same yard in late 2016, was originally ordered in September 2021 and the keel laid on 27 February 2023, with delivery expected later that year.
However, material and labour shortages and the collapse of FSG for the second time in December 2024 (the first, in 2021, led TT Line to abandon a contract to build the new Spirit of Tasmania ro-paxes at the yard. TT Line subsequently awarded new contracts to Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions) further delayed the construction.
After FSG’s rescue by new owners earlier this year construction of Searoad I recommenced in early April and has proceeded at pace.
Friday’s launch and christening followed the maritime tradition of breaking a bottle of champagne against the hull to wish Searoad I fair winds and following seas.
“The launch and naming ceremony are a significant occasion in any newbuild journey, and Searoad I is no exception. The vessel is on track to deliver increased efficiencies, flexibility and speed for SeaRoad,” Searoad Holdings executive chairman Chas Kelly said.
Searoad I’s dimensions are 210 x 29.30 metres, with four decks with 4,227 lane metres of capacity for freight, including heavy and over-dimensional units, and 101 cars. Twin LNG-fuelled main engines provide a speed of 22.5 knots and there are twin bow and stern thrusters for port manoeuvrability.
This compares to Searoad Mersey II at 182 x 26.60 metres and three decks with 1,960 lanemetres plus 110 cars. Speed is 20.5 knots.
It is anticipated that Searoad I will be completed in July and in Devonport-Melbourne service in September, when it is expected to replace the chartered Liekut.
In other news, TT Line’s Spirit of Tasmania V arrived at Leith, Scotland to lay up until May 2026 when it is expected to sail to Australia for final fit-out work in Hobart. With sister Spirit of Tasmania IV, currently laid up in Geelong, it is not expected to enter Bass Strait service until the completion of their new East Devonport terminal in October 2027.