Spirit of Tasmania IV has sailed into Devonport for the first time, docking at its new home port to cheers from thousands of onlookers lining the Mersey River.
The vessel arrived early on Sunday morning for operational testing, bringing the new ship and terminal together under live conditions for the first time.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was among the crowd from around 7am and described the moment as “a dawn of a new era” for the state.
“People were excited and people were very proud as they could see their ship, Spirit IV, sail up the river, turn on a dime and back in perfectly to the gantry,” he said.
TT-Line Chairman Ken Kanofski said the purpose of the visit was to test the gantry and ship together in a real-world setting.
“We’ve been doing it in Geelong with both ships for a number of times now, but you wanna fine-tune the systems, bring the two together for the first time,” he said.
Kanofski confirmed all early testing had gone well and the October target for first passenger sailings remains on track.
Spirit of Tasmania V will visit Devonport in September for its own round of testing.
The new vessels are 212 metres long compared to 195 metres for the current ships, with passenger capacity increasing to 1,138 beds across 301 cabins.
Freight and vehicle lane metres jump from 2,565 to 4,098 – a 40% increase in overall capacity.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief Amy Hills said the ships would attract more self-drive visitors who tend to stay longer and travel further into regional areas.
“These new vessels usher in a new dawn of sea travel to our state,” she said.
Devonport Mayor Alison Jarman said the vessel was “the shining light” for the city.
“Once you see the ships for yourself, you’ll understand this is the best thing we’ve ever done,” she said.
“So if it’s taken a bit more time and a bit more money, they’re going to pay us back tenfold.”
The new terminal at Spirit Quay remains on track for completion in October.
