Labor is demanding the state government reveal how much taxpayers will pay to hold the old Spirit of Tasmania vessels until a buyer is found.
Opposition Leader Josh Willie and Shadow Infrastructure Minister Anita Dow fronted the media in Devonport today, four days after Spirit of Tasmania IV completed its first berthing trial at the port.
“Tasmanians haven’t had an update on this since earlier in the year,” Willie said.
“[The] government should be on the front foot, the deadline is approaching.”
“Tell Tasmanians what the plan is and what it’s going to cost Tasmanians.”
Labor claims every month the old ships remain unsold past October will cost more than $1 million, a figure it reached by applying the current cost of holding the two new vessels to the old pair.
In a letter tabled to the Public Accounts Committee in May, TT-Line chief executive Chris Carbone said the monthly cost of holding Spirits IV and V ranged from $600,000 to $1.2 million per vessel depending on location.
Carbone said berthing fees made up only 5% to 17% of that total, with crewing accounting for 60% to 70% and fuel a further 17%.
Dow said the government needed to be transparent about ongoing costs and the future of the old vessels.
“It’s cost TT Line a lot of money to have those four ships and it’s put considerable pressure on their operating bottom line,” she said.
Government minister Nick Duigan said there was “plenty of interest” in the ships and an update was given in a committee earlier this month.
“The experts are working through that as you would expect,” Duigan said.
Duigan declined to provide details about potential buyers and referred questions about where the ships would be docked to TT-Line.
“We don’t have those numbers finalised at the moment but when we do we will release them,” he said.
Carbone told an August 7 parliamentary committee hearing he meets his broker several times a week and that there had been “significant interest” in the vessels, with several parties conducting inspections and engineering assessments.
The ships were classified as assets held for sale in TT-Line’s accounts as at June 30.
Carbone said Spirit II would sail an extra day after its farewell voyage to reposition to Williamstown in Victoria before being sold.
The first commercial sailings of the new ships are set for October 31.
