Latest news with #SpiritofTasmaniaIV
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Spirit of Tasmania ferry scandal threatens to sink government
For six months, the Tasmanian Government has wrestled with its decision spend £450m on two new ferries to link it with Australia, despite not having ports large enough to accommodate them. In a startling mirror-image of Scotland's own ferry fiasco, costs to build the both the dual-fuel ferries and their berths have ballooned since the plan was laid down – and now the ports are not expected to be ready till next year at the earliest. Since December, one of the ferries – Spirit of Tasmania IV – has languished at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, at a cost of £22,000 per week to the Tasmanian taxpayer. And this week the bill came due for the state's Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff, who faced the collapse of his 'rainbow coalition' and lost a no confidence vote, with the ferries one of several reasons he had lost the faith of parliament. In October, the scandal cost the frontbench position of the government's Treasurer and Deputy Premier Tasmanian Liberal Michael Ferguson. Tasmania's ferry fiasco is not too dissimilar to Scotland's woes (Image: Jane Barlow) Now the state stands poised to head to the polls if a new deal cannot be worked out and a replacement for Mr Rockcliff be found. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Spirit of Tasmania in Scotland isn't going anywhere soon. While Spirit IV was docked at Leith, its state-owned operator, TT-Line, searched for an someone to lease it until the port was completed in Tasmania. But negotiations collapsed in early March. The state government told TT-Line to bring Spirit IV back to Tasmania and it was due to depart on 26 May, before being delayed by poor weather. During that time, engineers found technical problems with the ship's liquefied natural gas systems. 'The government is awaiting further details in relation to a new expected departure date, but it is understood that this work will take some time,' the state's transport minister, Eric Abetz, said last week. READ MORE: Huge fiasco ship mothballed in Scotland at a cost of £23k a week 'Farcical': Newly-built ferry to be mothballed in Edinburgh 'for two years' When questioned about the delays in parliament, Abetz accused the Labor opposition of 'talking [the ferry] down all the time'. 'I say thank goodness for the weather, because she might have been well into the deep oceans and then suffer a mechanical issue, the full extent of which I am not appraised of,' Abetz said. 'We want to make sure the ship is safe and, even more importantly, the crew is safe. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the protection of the crew.' However, the ship has become something of a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, despite its status as a national embarrassment Down Under. Ian Stirling, who founded a whisky distillery right next to where the Spirit of Tasmania is docked, told the Guardian his long-term nautical neighbour has delivered patrons, with a side of political drama.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Australian 'fiasco' ferry ordered to leave Edinburgh
A newly-constructed Australian ferry will be moved from Edinburgh to the other side of the world after leasing negotiations broke down. Often described as a "fiasco", the Spirit of Tasmania IV has been docked in Leith for three months due to issues with existing infrastructure in the Tasmanian city of Devonport. Operator TT-Line said it had been engaging with a broker to lease the ferry, however an agreement could not be reached. The Tasmanian government has now ordered the ferry operator to relocate the 212m-long (695ft) vessel to the island. The ship was built at a yard in Finland, but had to be moved to Scotland before winter over concerns it could be damaged by pack ice. A new berth to accommodate the ship, and sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania V, may not be ready until late 2026 or 2027 and the saga has sparked a huge political row in Australia. More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & East More stories from Scotland The vessel was due to operate in the Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian state of Victoria, and had been described as a "game-changer" for the island's tourism industry. However, it has seen a series of delays in its construction, skyrocketing costs and problems upgrading the current berths - mirroring many of Scotland's own ferry problems. Tasmania's infrastructure minister, Michael Ferguson, and the chairman of ferry operator TT-Line, which is state-owned, resigned due to the controversy in August. The cost of building the two LNG dual-fuel ships has risen by A$94m (£47.5m) from A$850m (£430m) when the contract was signed in 2021. Meanwhile the cost of upgrading current infrastructure in Devonport, which handles about 450,000 passengers a year, has more than quadrupled from an original estimate of A$90m (£45.5m). TT-Line was paying A$47,534 (£24,031) per week to berth the ship at Forth Ports, according to figures published by the Tasmanian government. Last week Australian media reported there was a possibility of the ferry being used to house Ukrainian refugees in Scotland. However the Scottish government quickly dismissed this saying: "This is not true and we have no plans to lease this or any other vessel for this purpose." Tasmania's transport minister Eric Abetz said that the government had done all it could to secure a lease that would benefit Tasmanians. He said: "We had an opportunity to secure an agreement worth tens of millions of dollars for the Tasmanian taxpayer, and it would have been economically irresponsible not to explore this. "Previous similar leases provided more than €50m (£41.2m) to vessel owners, and it was prudent that we sought similar arrangements for Tasmanian taxpayers. "The relentless negativity is hurting the state's economic opportunities, and it's time to move forward together." Tasmanian Labor, the opposition party, welcomed the "backflip" from the government but said it came four months and and millions of dollars too late. A spokesman said: "The ferry fiasco has been the biggest infrastructure stuff-up in Tasmania's history, but the cover-up has been even worse than the crime." Australian 'ferries fiasco' ship docks in Edinburgh Huge Australian 'fiasco' ship to be mothballed in Edinburgh
BBC News
02-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Australian 'fiasco' ferry ordered to leave Edinburgh
A newly-constructed Australian ferry will be moved from Edinburgh to the other side of the world after leasing negotiations broke described as a "fiasco", the Spirit of Tasmania IV has been docked in Leith for three months due to issues with existing infrastructure in the Tasmanian city of TT-Line said it had been engaging with a broker to lease the ferry, however an agreement could not be Tasmanian government has now ordered the ferry operator to relocate the 212m-long (695ft) vessel to the island. The ship was built at a yard in Finland, but had to be moved to Scotland before winter over concerns it could be damaged by pack ice.A new berth to accommodate the ship, and sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania V, may not be ready until late 2026 or 2027 and the saga has sparked a huge political row in Australia. The vessel was due to operate in the Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian state of Victoria, and had been described as a "game-changer" for the island's tourism it has seen a series of delays in its construction, skyrocketing costs and problems upgrading the current berths - mirroring many of Scotland's own ferry infrastructure minister, Michael Ferguson, and the chairman of ferry operator TT-Line, which is state-owned, resigned due to the controversy in cost of building the two LNG dual-fuel ships has risen by A$94m (£47.5m) from A$850m (£430m) when the contract was signed in the cost of upgrading current infrastructure in Devonport, which handles about 450,000 passengers a year, has more than quadrupled from an original estimate of A$90m (£45.5m).TT-Line was paying A$47,534 (£24,031) per week to berth the ship at Forth Ports, according to figures published by the Tasmanian week Australian media reported there was a possibility of the ferry being used to house Ukrainian refugees in the Scottish government quickly dismissed this saying: "This is not true and we have no plans to lease this or any other vessel for this purpose." 'Biggest infrastructure stuff-up' Tasmania's transport minister Eric Abetz said that the government had done all it could to secure a lease that would benefit said: "We had an opportunity to secure an agreement worth tens of millions of dollars for the Tasmanian taxpayer, and it would have been economically irresponsible not to explore this."Previous similar leases provided more than €50m (£41.2m) to vessel owners, and it was prudent that we sought similar arrangements for Tasmanian taxpayers."The relentless negativity is hurting the state's economic opportunities, and it's time to move forward together."Tasmanian Labor, the opposition party, welcomed the "backflip" from the government but said it came four months and and millions of dollars too late.A spokesman said: "The ferry fiasco has been the biggest infrastructure stuff-up in Tasmania's history, but the cover-up has been even worse than the crime."
