Spirit of Tasmania V update

Spirit of Tasmania V has departed Leith in Scotland for Australia (about 230am AEST).

The 212-metre-long, 48,000 gross tonne ship will travel to Australia following the same route as Spirit of Tasmania IV before it – via Gibraltar, Cape Verde Islands (off the western coast of Africa), Cape Town in South Africa, Port Louis in Mauritius and Fremantle in Western Australia.

This route down the west coast of Africa via the Cape of Good Hope is considered a safer alternative to the Red Sea/Suez Canal given ongoing conflicts in the region.

On arrival in Fremantle, Spirit of Tasmania V will stay for several days to complete vessel importation requirements, Customs and Immigration formalities, a crew change, refuelling and restocking of provisions.

Following the ship’s stopover in Fremantle, it will travel to Geelong for further gantry testing before being berthed in Melbourne until a berth becomes available in Hobart at the end of the cruise ship season.

When in Hobart, the ship will complete the final fit-out of local content and be used for events.

The voyage from Leith to Australia is expected to take approximately seven weeks, weather permitting.

TT-Line CEO Chris Carbone said Spirit of Tasmania V’s departure from Leith represented another significant and exciting step forward for the company’s vessel replacement program.

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming our second new vessel home, to join Spirit of Tasmania IV ahead of entering service on Bass Strait later this year,” he said.