News
InCat safely evacuated
A SIGNIFICANT safety milestone has been completed at Incat Tasmania’s Hobart shipyard today, with the successful deployment of the Marine Evacuation System (MES) aboard Hull 096,...
Austal starts work on biggest vessel so far
WEST Australian-based shipbuilder Austal has begun work on the biggest vessel it has ever built. The project at Austal’s Philippines shipyard is for construction of Horizon X, the...
Close Encounter of the MUA kind
THE MARITIME Union of Australia is maintaining its campaign against Carnival Cruise Lines in Australia, demanding the unionisation of the crews on Group ships operating in local...
Tough market for old Spirit sales
TT LINE has reported “some interest” from potential buyers of existing vessels Spirit of Tasmania I and II but faces a competitive market, with other similar vessels available for...
Wrecked ferry washed off rocks
THE WILDLIFE excursion vessel that grounded on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula on Saturday [31 January] has been washed off the rocks by heavy swells. Catamaran Black Cat ran ashore...
Spirit Geelong stay costing almost a million a month
TT LINE is negotiating to have Spirit of Tasmania V join sister Spirit of Tasmania IV ‘in storage’ at Geelong, the company’s chairman has revealed. Ken Kanofski also disclosed...
Tourist vessel wrecked in New Zealand
TRANSPORT Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) experts are on the scene of the loss of a tourist excursion vessel which struck rocks in Akaroa on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula...
Star turn frees Antarctic cruise ship
IN ITS fiftieth year of commissioned service the US Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star has come to the rescue of Australian expedition cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II in Antarctic...
Unions rally at Station Pier
UNIONISTS have rallied at Station Pier to protest conditions of crew members working for Carnival Cruises in Australian waters. As reported this week in DCN, the Maritime Union of...
Carnival rejects MUA push
CARNIVAL Australia has stridently dismissed a campaign by unions led by the MUA to force the cruise giant to employ local crews. The MUA has been joined its campaign — which has...
Go-slow for Spirits
TT LINE has been trialling slower Bass Strait crossings by Spirit of Tasmania ferries, positioning the experiment as a move to reduce emissions - although Tasmanian Labor claims...
New ferry on manoeuvres
INCAT Tasmania’s pride and joy, the world’s largest battery-electric ship, began formal trials on Friday [16 January] and these continued over the weekend in Hobart’s River...
Cruise ships help WA to record visitor numbers
CRUISE ship visits to Western Australia have helped the state to record numbers of overseas visitors in the 12 months to October 2025 The state government’s efforts to attract...
Australian agency charters cruise ship for two years
MY CRUISES, a specialist agency that’s part of the Flight Centre Travel Group, has taken on charter a small cruise ship for back-to-back round-the-world voyages expected to last a...
Another misadventure for expedition cruise ship
CAIRNS-based Coral Expeditions has suffered a further incident that could potentially impact its reputation, with the grounding of the small cruise ship Coral Adventurer off the...
