The newest Spirit of Tasmania ferry remains stuck in Scotland, with bad weather stalling its departure and Tasmanian taxpayers footing the bill.
Minister Felix Ellis says Spirit IV will leave the port of Leith “soon”, but couldn’t give a firm timeline when pressed on the ongoing delay.
“There have been delays because of inclement weather but the TT-Line will be monitoring that situation closely,” Ellis said.
He described the situation as a “short delay” and promised more details around the growing costs once departure plans are locked in.
The ferry was initially expected to set sail from Leith this month.
The extended stay in Scotland has drawn fire from Labor, with opposition MPs accusing the government of keeping the public in the dark about the status of the vessel.
“The government’s been trying to hide Spirit 4 in Scotland for as long as possible and I think every day that it’s there is costing Tasmanians more and more money,” Labor leader Dean Winter said.
“The government has been wanting to avoid this situation because they know that when Spirit 4 arrives in the Derwent it will be like a floating billboard for their incompetence.”
The delay is the latest in a string of setbacks for the troubled Spirit of Tasmania project, which has already been plagued by cost blowouts and missed deadlines.
