Spirit of Tasmania IV has finally left Scottish shores, charting a course to Hobart on an epic 27,000 km journey — marking the next chapter for Tasmania’s ageing ferry fleet.
Departure After Delays
After months of anticipation, Spirit of Tasmania IV set sail from Leith, Scotland, on June 30.
Its departure came later than planned. Back in May, technical issues with its liquid natural gas system forced the vessel to stay put.
Now, the deep water berth in Devonport’s Mersey River — its future home — is still under construction, so its first Australian stop will be Hobart instead.
The Route: A True Ocean Marathon
This isn’t a short hop across the Channel. Spirit IV’s route is more like a grand tour of the globe.
The ferry will steam through:
-
Gibraltar
-
The Cape Verde Islands
-
Cape Town
-
Port Louis in Mauritius
-
Fremantle in Western Australia
From Fremantle, it’s the final leg south to Hobart — all up, 14,857 nautical miles, or about 27,515 kilometres.
Stopover In Fremantle
Spirit IV is expected to reach Fremantle in around six weeks. But it won’t be a quick pit stop.
According to TT-Line, the vessel needs to spend four days there to complete:
-
Vessel importation into Australia
-
Customs and Immigration formalities
-
Crew changeover
-
Refuelling and restocking
All the practical but vital steps before this $850 million investment can get anywhere near Tasmanian waters.
An Ageing Fleet Gets Relief — Eventually
The Spirit IV, along with its sister ship Spirit V, is meant to replace Spirits I and II — ferries that have shuttled passengers across Bass Strait for nearly three decades.
But the modernisation has hit a few snags. The replacement project has faced repeated delays and blown budgets. To make things worse, the construction of their new berth in Devonport was late getting underway.
That means these state-of-the-art ferries will have to bide their time until the infrastructure catches up.
What Happens Next?
Spirit IV is expected to arrive in Hobart by late August if all goes well at sea.
The second vessel, Spirit V, is still sitting in Finland. The Tasmanian government says both ships will be in full operation by October 2026.
For island residents and businesses who rely on these lifelines across Bass Strait, the countdown is on.
