The Spirit of Tasmania IV is set to be housed in Scotland for another month as operator TT-Line says talks are advancing for an agreement to lease the newly constructed ship.
The failure to upgrade berth capability in Devonport means the larger ship cannot operate on its normal route between Geelong and Devonport, and with berth works expected to be completed by October 2026 at the absolute earliest, plans are being put in place to lease the Spirit IV to an external company.
Spirit IV possesses over 60 per cent more lane metres than the current operational ships, meaning its introduction to the Spirit of Tasmania fleet could have hugely positive outcomes on Tasmania’s interstate and road freight capability.
Overall, it possesses a total of 4098 lane metres for passenger and freight vehicles.
TT-Line has confirmed is has entered “live commercial negotiations” regarding the ship and will “move to finalise terms and conditions” by the end of February.
Until a potential commercial agreement is reached Spirit IV will remain at Leith port at a cost of $23,915 per week, a dramatic reduction from the cost of the first month of storing the ship which was $47,534 per week.
Factoring in crewing and ancillary costs, it has cost upwards of $1.2 million for TT-Line to store the ship in Scotland.
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