Passengers booking Spirit of Tasmania sailings will pay more from tomorrow, after TT-Line announced a 15% fuel surcharge on all new tickets.
A family of four travelling with a car and caravan will pay an extra $228 each way, while two adults with a standard vehicle will pay an additional $107.
Two adults and two children in a porthole cabin with a high vehicle will pay an extra $147.
The surcharge takes effect on March 31 and applies only to new bookings. Existing ticket holders will not be affected.
TT-Line chairman Ken Kanofski said fuel prices had risen by 80%, leaving the company facing a projected hit of more than $50 million.
“Such increases are unsustainable for any transport business, which explains why fuel levies are being introduced across the industry,” he said.
Kanofski said the surcharge was not intended to generate a profit for the state-owned ferry operator.
“TT-Line has set it as a partial recovery, considering the effects on customers and Tasmania’s tourism industry,” he said.
“The actual amount recovered will depend on demand conditions and how fuel price increases impact driving holidays.”
TT-Line said the measure was temporary and would be reviewed regularly.
However, it flagged the surcharge could remain in place even after fuel prices fall, to “distribute costs and reduce the impost on individual passengers”.
Freight customers already pay a fuel levy under long-standing contracts, which TT-Line said was standard practice across the industry.
The company said it would report additional fuel expenses and revenue collected from the levy to its shareholder ministers.
The levy will be automatically added to fares at the time of booking.
