MS Spirit of Tasmania I

MS Spirit of Tasmania I is a roll-on/roll-off ferry operated by TT-Line between Geelong and Devonport in Australia. Built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards at Turku New Shipyard in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast IV, since 2002 she has sailed for TT-Line as MS Spirit of Tasmania I.

Spirit of Tasmania I at Devonport, Tasmania
History
Name
  • 1998–2002: Superfast IV
  • 2002–present: Spirit of Tasmania I
Owner
Operator
  • 1998–2002: Superfast Ferries
  • 2003–2006: TT-Line[1]
Port of registry
Route
BuilderKvaerner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Yard number1341[1]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeSuperfast III class fast ropax ferry
Tonnage
Length194.33 m (637 ft 7 in)
Beam25.00 m (82 ft)
Draught6.55 m (21 ft 6 in)
Decks11
Installed power
Speed30.8 kn (57.04 km/h) maximum speed
Capacity
  • 1,400 passengers
  • 750 berths
  • 500 cars[3]
  • 1,464 lanemeters[1]

Concept and construction

The Superfast IV was the second ship of the second pair (the former pair being Superfast I and Superfast II) built for Superfast Ferries at Kvaerner Masa-Yards for its Adriatic Sea services from Patras to Ancona She was a sister ship of Superfast III.[1]

Bulbous bow clearly visible as she comes into Melbourne
Multi-lingual signage, Greek first
Tri-lingual signage, Greek then English and German

Amenities and deck layout

Spirit of Tasmania I has 11 decks, with 222 cabins.

  • Decks 1 to 6 are used to hold cars and trucks. The fore-ends of Decks 1 and 2 are accessed via a ramp from deck 3 (The aft-end space of the two decks houses the ships machinery). Deck 6 holds cars using a hoistable platform.
  • Deck 7 has cabins, a reception area, small movie theater, lounge bar, gaming lounge, gift shop, tourism bureau, main bar, two restaurants and a children's playroom.
  • Deck 8 has cabins and an ocean recliner area.
  • Deck 9 is mainly crew area.
  • Deck 10 has a bar and disco area.
  • Deck 11 has a helicopter landing pad.

Service history

1998–2002: Superfast IV

The Superfast IV entered service on 1 April 1998 on Superfast Ferries' Patras to Ancona service.[1] In March 2002 the Superfast IV was sold to TT-Line.

2002 Onwards: Spirit of Tasmania I

TT-Line took over its new ship on 10 May of the same year, she along with her sister were handed over to TT-Line at Patras.[1] The two ships then sailed to the Neorion ship yard on the island of Syros for painting and general overhaul and renamed Spirit of Tasmania I.[1] She subsequently sailed to Hobart, Tasmania, where she was refitted for her new service. On 1 September 2002 she entered service on TT-Line's Melbourne to Devonport service.[1] In 2015 she was refurbished in Devonport.[4][5]

2005 event

During the night of 3 to 4 February 2005 Spirit of Tasmania I ran into heavy seas in the Bass Strait while sailing from Melbourne to Devonport. At approximately 02:00 the seas reached a height of 20 metres.[1] The seas smashed cabin windows on the starboard bow and subsequently cabin walls were smashed down, flooding cabin decks as high as deck 9 (the deck under the bridge). Many passengers were unaware of the cause of water in their cabins as the water disabled the public announcement system. The captain decided it best to return to Melbourne, arriving mid morning to heavy media coverage. The ship remained in port overnight for temporary repairs and sailed again the following evening for Devonport.[6]

References
  1. Asklander, Micke. "M/S Superfast IV (1998)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  2. "Ship facts - Spirit of Tasmania I & II" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  3. "Quick facts". Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  4. Trimline completes major refurbishment of ferries Spirit of Tasmania 1 & 2 Archived 15 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine Seatrade Maritime News 16 October 2015
  5. Transforming Spirit of Tasmania Ships Monthly February 2016 page 7
  6. Jackson, Andra (4 February 2005). "Pounded by wild seas, Spirit forced to turn tail". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2008.

Media related to Spirit of Tasmania I (ship, 1998) at Wikimedia Commons

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