Latest news with #SpiritofTasmaniaV
Daily Record
19-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Australian 'fiasco' ferry leaves Edinburgh after months docked in Forth
On Thursday morning, June 19, the Spirit of Tasmania IV ship was pictured leaving the city after arriving in Edinburgh at the end of last year. An Australian ferry that was docked for months in Edinburgh has finally set sail from the capital. On Thursday morning, June 19, the Spirit of Tasmania IV ship was spotted leaving Leith docks, reports Edinburgh Live. In December it was reported how the ship was set to be berthed in Edinburgh until next year, after it was discovered to be too big for its intended ports Down Under. Operator TT-Line confirmed it had been engaging with a broker to lease the ferry, although an agreement was not reached. The Tasmanian government then ordered the operator to relocate the 212-metre vessel. It was initially moved to Scotland after fears it could be damaged by pack ice. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The situation sparked a political row in Australia after it was feared a new berth to accommodate the shop, and it's sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania V, may not be ready until late 2026 or 2027. The new Spirit of Tasmania ships have a gross tonnage of 48,000 and have the capacity to hold 1,800 passengers. The vessel is home to 301 new cabins, 118 standard recliners and 47 business recliners. 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. 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. In March it was 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."
Edinburgh Live
19-06-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
Australian 'fiasco' ferry leaves Edinburgh after months docked in the capital
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A huge Australian ferry has finally left Edinburgh after months in the capital. On Thursday morning, June 19, the Spirit of Tasmania IV ship was pictured leaving Leith docks. In December we reported how the ship was set to be berthed in the capital until 2026 after it was found to be too big for its intended ports Down Under. Operator TT-Line said it had been engaging with a broker to lease the ferry, although an agreement could not be reached. The Tasmanian government then ordered the operator to relocate the 212-metre vessel. It was originally moved to Scotland due to fears it could be damaged by pack ice. The saga sparked a political row in Australia after a new berth to accommodate the shop, and its sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania V, may not be ready until late 2026 or 2027. The new Spirit of Tasmania ships have a gross tonnage of 48,000 and have a capacity of 1,800 passengers. The vessel features 301 new cabins, 118 standard recliners and 47 business recliners. 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. 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. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. In March we 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."
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."
