Passengers are still on board the new Spirit of Tasmania IV hours after it was due in Geelong, less than a week after the ferry started carrying paying customers.
One social media post from on board said the ship had to “wait for tug” before it could enter the channel.
One person waiting at the Geelong terminal said a passenger had told them the ship was in Port Phillip Bay and would not dock for another four and a half hours.
‘They said they could no longer contact the passenger and described the new vessels as “too expensive and unreliable”.
The ship left Devonport just after 7pm on Wednesday and was scheduled to arrive in Geelong at 6:30am this morning.
A ship tracking website shows the vessel had not yet docked and had made multiple sharp turns in Port Phillip Bay, east of Geelong.
The new ships carried their first paying passengers on Saturday, sailing from Geelong to Devonport.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Infrastucture Minister Kerry Vincent were among those on board for that crossing.
They said at the time some things would need improving as the ships settled in over the coming weeks and months.
“Every project has its problems,” Vincent said on Saturday.
“That’s behind us now.”
Vincent also said bookings rose 26% in September and 22% in October.
The ferries entered service years later than planned after delays and cost blowouts. Last month, TT-Line reported a $723 million loss for 2025-26, including a $368 million write-down on the value of the new ships.
Pulse has contacted TT-Line for comment.
