The brand-new Spirit of Tasmania ferry is expected to arrive in the state around the middle of the year after lease negotiations were called off over the weekend.
Spirit IV has been docked at the Port of Leith in Scotland since late last year while state-owned ferry operator TT-Line explored potential leasing options.
The vessel is currently unable to enter service in Tasmania due to delays in the completion of berthing infrastructure in Devonport.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Monday confirmed that leasing the ship to the Scottish Government for use as a floating refugee camp had appeared to be the “most likely option”.
He said similar lease opportunities entered into by other ferry operators had resulted in them receiving payments in the “tens of millions of dollars”.
Yet over the weekend, the Scottish Government denied that such an arrangement was ever under consideration.
“It became apparent, clearly, that the Scottish Government were not keen at all and given that circumstance then there was no good proceeding,” Rockliff told reporters on Monday.
“My understanding is that a range of options were canvassed and the most likely option was the one that I’ve just spoken of.”
“It didn’t eventuate and now we’re bringing the Spirit 4 back to Tasmania.”
TT-Line is now preparing the ship for its journey home and identifying suitable storage locations until its 2027 entry into service.
The voyage is expected to take up to three months and will cost approximately $4 million.
Rockliff said the final docking location will be determined with consideration for scheduled cruise ship arrivals to avoid any negative impact on tourism and local businesses.
“There’s a lot to work through, a lot of logistics. That is TT-Line’s responsibility,” he said.
“TT-Line will be embarking on an extensive investigation in terms of where best to store Spirit 4 … we have the opportunity here of Hobart.”
