The new ferry Spirit of Tasmania IV has departed from Scotland and is en route to Hobart, with its expected arrival scheduled for late August.
In a statement, ferry operator TT-Line announced that Spirit IV left Leith on Monday and will undertake a 14,857 nautical mile (27,515 kilometer) journey, passing through Gibraltar, the Cape Verde Islands off Africa’s west coast, Cape Town in South Africa, Port Louis in Mauritius, and Fremantle in Western Australia.
The vessel is a replacement for the nearly 30-year-old Spirit I and Spirit II, along with their sister ship Spirit V. Originally, the ferry was scheduled to depart in May but faced delays due to an issue with its liquid natural gas (LNG) system.
The Spirit IV project has encountered multiple setbacks, including delays and cost overruns, as well as the construction of their new berth in Devonport not starting on time.
TT-Line explained that Spirit of Tasmania IV will stay in Fremantle for around four days to complete importation formalities, customs procedures, crew changes, refueling, and provisioning. TT-Line Chief Executive Chris Carbone estimated the voyage to Fremantle would take about six weeks, weather permitting.
He added that the vessel is expected to arrive in Hobart in late August, where final preparations such as installing Tasmanian-made mattresses, table tops, cabin supplies, artwork, and crew training will take place. The crew training will include emergency response exercises, passenger muster simulations, firefighting drills, lifeboat deployment, and evacuation procedures.
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