The new Spirit of Tasmania ferries carry their first paying passengers across Bass Strait tonight, after years of delays and cost blowouts, Pulse Tasmania reported.
Spirit of Tasmania IV and Spirit of Tasmania V are making the inaugural passenger sailings from Devonport and Geelong, with both ships scheduled to leave at 6.45pm. They are the first passenger crossings since the old ships were retired last week.
The new ships replace the 28-year-old Spirit of Tasmania I and II, which have made the crossing since 2002. Spirit of Tasmania said the new vessels could each carry an extra 470 passengers per sailing and had 301 cabins, including family, deluxe, accessible and pet-friendly options. The ABC reported they have 60 per cent more vehicle space than the old ships and room for three times as many caravans and motorhomes.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the sailings marked “the beginning of a new chapter for Tasmania”. Asked what the government had learned from the project’s delivery and cost, he said every big project faced “troubled waters”.
“The important thing is we’ve stayed the course,” he said.
In a statement reported by Spice News, Spirit of Tasmania chief executive Chris Carbone said: “This is a proud and historic day for Spirit of Tasmania and everyone who has played a role in bringing these vessels to life.”
Mr Carbone said the extra caravan space left availability through the peak season, and said day sailings would return once evening sailings sold out.
“I’ll be the happiest CEO ever once we’ve put on those first day sailings, ‘cause it’ll mean we’ve sold out the evenings,” he said.
He also ruled out bringing back a 15 per cent fuel surcharge, and said the company hoped to make announcements on the sale of the old vessels in the coming weeks.
State government minister Kerry Vincent said October bookings were running 22 per cent above last year and the waiting list for crossings had disappeared.
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Amy Hills told the ABC it had been a long journey, “but we have finally made it”.
“We’re excited, we’re relieved, and we’re really … looking forward to having our new Spirits on their run and bringing visitors to Tasmania,” Ms Hills said.
Tourism Tasmania chief executive Sarah Clark said the extra capacity would encourage visitors to “stay longer and explore more of Tasmania’s regions and communities”.
The replacement project was announced in 2017, with new ferries promised for 2021. A contract with German shipbuilder FSG was cancelled in early 2020, and the ships were eventually built by Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland, the ABC reported. The new berth and terminal at Devonport were originally budgeted at $90 million; that cost has since blown out to $493 million.
Last week, TT-Line reported a $723 million loss for 2025-26, including a $368 million write-down on the value of the new ships.
Correction, 3 November 2026: An earlier version of this story credited comments by Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Amy Hills to another outlet; they were reported by the ABC, which is now credited. A statement by Spirit of Tasmania chief executive Chris Carbone that was not in our original source is now credited to Spice News, which published it. Ship specifications and a terminal completion date that were not in our sources have been removed, as has an illustration of farmland that did not show the ships or Devonport.