Devonport’s new Spirit of Tasmania terminal has officially opened, a week before the two new Bass Strait ferries are due to start carrying passengers.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff and infrastructure and transport minister Kerry Vincent opened Spirit Quay today, as Spirit of Tasmania I and II prepare to leave service.
TT-Line said Spirit of Tasmania I would be farewelled tonight and Spirit of Tasmania II tomorrow night, after more than 25 years on Bass Strait.
The quay’s centrepiece is a 740-tonne gantry, 27m high and 38m wide. It supports four steel ramps used to load and unload vehicles from Spirit of Tasmania IV and V, which will run between Geelong and Devonport.
Rockliff said the facility could handle growing passenger and freight volumes and had room to expand.
“These vessels will bring with them generational benefit and will ply the Bass Strait for decades to come,” he said.
Vincent said local partners delivered more than 50% of the berth construction. Builder BMD worked with Fitzgerald Constructions Australia and Tasmanian companies Bridgepro Engineering, Gradco and Vos Constructions.
“It is a win for every Tasmanian to have these larger vessels sailing the Bass Strait with their new, upgraded facilities at either end of the way,” Vincent said.
TT-Line said more than 1,000 workers contributed to the project.
Asked whether the ship replacement had been a debacle, Rockliff said it “was always going to be a game changer”.
He said projects of its size “are never without their challenges” and that “lessons have been learnt”.
Rockliff was also asked about a dispute between the Auditor-General and TT-Line over the company’s solvency.
He said the government had “every confidence” in TT-Line and that its new board and chief executive had “turned this business around”.
Vincent said he had not seen or asked to see the advice TT-Line was relying on. He said he had been briefed on it and was “comfortable with that advice”.
Shipbroker Clarksons is handling the sale of the two older ships.
TT-Line said it was in advanced negotiations with several interested parties and did not expect the vessels to be berthed for long. It said it hoped to announce the sales in the near future.
