Tasmania’s Transport Minister has dismissed Labor’s claims that a “summer freight crisis” is on the horizon following the withdrawal of a key Bass Strait vessel for maintenance.
SeaRoad on Friday pulled one of its ships from the Bass Strait route for unavoidable maintenance in dry dock, which is expected to take two months.
Labor’s Shadow Primary Industries and Water Minister Janie Finlay said the loss of the vessel could lead to a disruption in freight services, particularly for local farmers.
“Summer is peak season for freight across Bass Strait and it’s vital that Tasmanian growers and producers can get their products to market in a timely manner,” she said.
“Labor is calling for the government to prioritise fresh freight on overnight northbound Spirit crossings so that producers can get their harvests to market the next morning.”
However, Minister Eric Abetz said the government has been working with the industry to ensure freight demand can be met through until February.
He said he attended a meeting of the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group in November to discuss freight capacity, seasonal outlook and demand.
“The shipping lines, the freight forwarders and producers have all agreed to work cooperatively to ensure that we can minimise any dislocation caused by a private operator driving a vessel,” Abetz said.
“The government line, namely TT-Line, will be providing as much assistance as possible to ensure that we get our wonderful produce over to the mainland for the Christmas period, New Year and the festive season.”
