Spirit of Tasmania V officially handed over to ferry operator TT-Line
The second of the two new Spirit of Tasmania ships has been handed over to TT-Line by Finnish ship-building company Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC).
Spirit of Tasmania V was officially accepted by one of the Tasmanian ferry operator's directors, retired Rear Admiral Steve Gilmore, on Wednesday evening.
TT-Line chief executive Chris Carbone said it marked "a significant milestone in our journey".
A TT-Line spokesperson did not say when Spirit V was expected to set sail for Tasmania, or whether any further works or sea trials needed to be completed before it did.
On Sunday, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the other new ferry, Spirit of Tasmania IV, would arrive in Australia from Scotland in August.
It follows a lengthy infrastructure debacle, when it emerged last year that TT-Line had failed to build a berth for the vessels in Devonport on time.
It is not expected to be completed until at least October 2026.
Spirit of Tasmania IV was then moved to a port in Scotland while the Liberal state government explored options to lease it out.
It was expected to leave for Australia in May, but an issue was detected with its liquid natural gas system.
RMC has since managed to modify the system, and the ship has been undertaking sea trials.
Late last week, Mr Rockliff said Spirit IV's journey back to Australia would take about 10 weeks.
The ship will head to Hobart where it will receive final fit-outs.
TT-Line said as of late April, storing the vessel in Scotland had cost the Tasmanian government $4.3 million, including fuel, crew and port costs.
The Spirit of Tasmania saga was one of three reasons listed on Labor's successful no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, which has led to the calling of a state election.
During the election campaign, Labor has drawn attention to the many issues with the project and promised that both ships would be home before Christmas.
On Sunday, Labor leader Dean Winter also said he would make sure the new ferries could refuel with locally produced LNG at their home port.
"Refuelling with LNG is good for the environment, it's better for Devonport, it's better for passengers," he said.
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