The Spirit of Tasmania has been forced to turn back to Devonport just 15 minutes into its overnight journey to Victoria due to a declared ‘medical emergency’ on board.
Passengers were left confused shortly before 8pm on Tuesday when they were told the ship would be turning around, but weren’t given a reason why.
In a statement to Pulse, a TT-Line spokesperson said the ship was returning to Tasmania as a ‘matter of urgency’.
They said the ship will head back to sea on its journey to Geelong once the passenger has been taken off the vessel.
It is understood a young male allegedly attempted to steal from a shop onboard the vessel, before reportedly being injured while attempting to flee.
Police and paramedics met the boat when it returned to shore on Tuesday evening.
A Tasmania Police spokesperson said the person was receiving medical attention and confirmed nobody else was injured in the ordeal.
The ship was originally scheduled to arrive in Geelong around 6:30am on Wednesday, however it now won’t likely arrive until 7:20am.
The incident comes after sailings were cancelled over the weekend as a result of severe weather.
Both ferries operated double sailings on Monday to clear passenger, vehicle and freight backlogs.
