Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Construction (RMC) has completed the initial series of sea trials of a new Ro-Pax ferry ordered by Australian operator TT-Line Company. Spirit of Tasmania IV sailed out for trials spanning five days to enable RMC to assess its systems and performance.
A second series of sea trials will be conducted before the ferry is handed over to TT-Line for operation under the Spirit of Tasmania brand. Once in service, it will operate in Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and Tasmania.
Spirit of Tasmania IV will be the first of a planned series of two 1,800-passenger ferries that will sail on TT-Line’s Spirit of Tasmania service between Geelong and Devonport. Delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of this year while sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania V will be handed over in the first quarter of 2025.
In 2020, the German shipyard that TT-Line had originally selected to construct the ferries filed for insolvency, resulting in the cancellation of the shipbuilding contract. The contract was then awarded to RMC in April 2021.