SPIRIT of Tasmania has appointed Tasmanian production company HYPE TV to document the construction of the two new Spirit of Tasmania ships.
The company is to work with Spirit of Tasmania over the course of the project to capture milestones while Spirit of Tasmania IV and Spirit of Tasmania V are being worked on.
Both vessels are currently at the Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard in Finland.
Spirit of Tasmania CEO and managing director Bernard Dwyer said signing the construction contract with Rauma Marine Constructions was a significant event for the company and the state’s freight sector.
“It was also a major infrastructure decision for the state that will provide long-term increased capacity for further economic growth for Tasmania,” he said.
“Given its importance, capturing the progress of the vessels’ construction for posterity was critical.
“We are very pleased to be able to appoint a Tasmanian firm to do just that.”
HYPE TV executive producer and co-owner Dave Flower said this was a significant project for the business.
“We started as a two-person team 10 years ago in a small office in the Salamanca Arts Centre, so to be awarded a contract of this size and scope is truly incredible,” he said.
“As a small Tasmanian production company, we are really honoured to be working with Spirit of Tasmania on a project of this scale and duration.
“We know how important these new ships are to Tasmania and we want to capture all of the exciting moments of the ship builds.”
HYPE TV plans to use video and time lapse cameras along with interviews with project leads, engineers, designers and builders in Finland to document the build.
Once the first ship is delivered, HYPE TV intends to produce a documentary to bring together the entire journey from design to the maiden voyage.
Spirit of Tasmania has launched an eight-part series called The Journey to Bass Strait with the release of the introduction video and first episode created by HYPE TV.
