LEAKS FROM a ‘government business enterprise’, raised in Tasmania’s Parliament yesterday, suggest TT Line’s new Spirit of Tasmania ferries may be sent to lay by in Singapore pending the completion of suitable temporary and permanent terminal facilities in East Devonport.
Labor leader Dean Winter quizzed premier Jeremy Rockliff at a budget scrutiny committee hearing, suggesting the government was try to “save money and save face”.
“Are you aware that senior staff at one of your GBEs is openly telling people that you plan to park the ships in Singapore in order to save money and the embarrassment of having to park them here in Tasmania waters?” Mr Winter asked.
Mr Rockliff said he would not rule in or out berthing options, ACM reported. He said infrastructure delivery experts Ben Moloney and Peter Gemmell, who were appointed to take control of the TT-Line vessel replacement project last month, continued to work to obtain pricing of the new required port infrastructure.
“When we work through the infrastructure and the way forward, they will then make decisions on the ships and where they are berthed in the interim,” he said.
The cost of TT Line’s new terminal at East Devonport’s no.3 berth has blown out from $90 million to upwards of $375 million as the company was forced to seek a new contractor for the work, which was originally to be completed last month. It is now not expected to be ready until early 2026, long after Spirit of Tasmania IV – delivered by Finland’s RMC on 12 September – and Spirit of Tasmania V have, theoretically, entered Bass Strait service.
TasPorts has been directed to make modifications to the existing terminal at no.1 berth, at a likely cost of at least $50 million, to temporarily accommodate the new ships. But they will be restricted to operating at the same capacity as the existing vessels, unable to take advantage of the 40% increase in capacity.
Mr Winter questioned why communication over the delayed delivery was so poor when businesses had invested in preparation for them to be operational over this summer, ACM reported.
Mr Rockliff said the government had communicated with businesses through a roundtable held with tourism and other stakeholders in August, and that communication was ongoing.
“We will ensure that we are communicating effectively,” he said. “I understand the disappointment, Mr. Winter. “I’m very disappointed. You’re disappointed. They are disappointed. The mayor is disappointed. There is not a single person that I’ve ever met that’s not disappointed in terms of the delay of these ships and the associated infrastructure.”
