TT-Line Company

For the German company, see TT-Line.
TT-Line Company
Government enterprise
Industry Transport
Founded 1 November 1993
Headquarters Devonport, Tasmania, Australia
Key people
 Rene Hidding (Minister for Infrastructure)
Bernard Dwyer (CEO)
Michael Grainger (Chairman)
Products Ferries, passenger transportation, freight transportation, holidays, business travel
Revenue A$206 million (June 2015)
A$1.2 million (June 2015)
Number of employees
 463 (June 2015)
Parent Government of Tasmania
Website www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/

TT-Line Company[1] is a company operating ferries from Tasmania to mainland Australia since 1985. The company was separated from the Tasmanian Government's Department of Transport in 1993, becoming a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania.

History

1985-1992

TT-Line (Tasmania) was formed in 1985 following the announcement that the Australian National Line (ANL) would no longer operate a service across Bass Strait with the Empress of Australia.

After the cessation of ANL operations to Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government's Department of Transport began a replacement ferry service, purchasing the West German ferry Nils Holgersson (3) for $26 million. That amount was offset by a payment from the Australian federal government in compensation for placing the environmentally-sensitive Gordon River off-limits to Hydro Tasmania power generation schemes. The Nils Holgersson (3) was renamed Abel Tasman on 21 April 1985, and set sail for Australia, she arrived in Devonport on 20 June and began operating on 1 July 1985 from Melbourne's Station Pier.

1993-2001

In 1993 TT-Line Tasmania replaced the aging Abel Tasman with another ex TT-Line ferry. The new ship, Peter Pan (3), had replaced the former Nils Holgersson (3) (now Abel Tasman) on the Travemünde to Trelleborg route in Germany in 1986. The ship, which was delivered to Lloyd Werft shipyard in September 1993 and was renamed Spirit of Tasmania, cost the Government $150 million. The ferry left Germany on 5 October and arrived in Devonport 12 November.

On 1 November 1993 operation of the service was transferred from the Tasmanian Department of Transport to TT-Line Pty Ltd, a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Tasmanian Government.[2]

The Spirit of Tasmania made her first commercial crossing of Bass Strait on the night of 29 November 1993 and on that morning the Abel Tasman was laid-up and offered for sale, which was completed in April 1994, to Ventouris Ferries as the Pollux.

While the Spirit of Tasmania was dry-docked in 1997, the TT-Line chartered a large multi-hull ferry, the Incat 045 (now Condor Rapide), from Incat, dubbing her Tascat. She was used for two weeks as an experiment. In the peak season of 1997/98. TT-Line chartered Incat 046 to operate as Devil Cat from the old SeaCat Tasmania terminal in George Town to Station Pier. TT-Line repeated this over the 1998/99 peak season with the new Incat 050 Devil Cat (also marketed under the name Devil Cat).

In September 1999, the Spirit of Tasmania was forced out of action for two weeks due to fuel contamination, and TT-Line chartered the Incat 030 HSC Condor 10 which at the time was laid up in New Zealand as The Lynx. Once TT-Line arranged for the charter she immediately departed New Zealand and arrived in Tasmania two days later, and entered service to cover for the Spirit of Tasmania. Over the 1999/00 summer season TT-Line again charted a fast craft while the former Devil Cat Incat 046 was used on the Georgetown-Melbourne route during this peak period for three successive years.

2002

Spirit of Tasmania I enters her port of registry Devonport

In 2002 the Tasmanian Government and TT-Line announced that they would be replacing the Devil Cat and the Spirit of Tasmania with two Finnish built monohull ferries Superfast III and Superfast IV later that year from Superfast Ferries. Both were handed over at the Neorion shipyard on the island of Syros where they had been refitted. Superfast III was renamed Spirit of Tasmania II and departed on 6 July and Superfast IV renamed Spirit of Tasmania I and departed 7 July. They set off for Australia both arriving in Hobart 29 July where the final touches were put into place. After public inspections at Hobart, Melbourne and Devonport the two new ships set sail on 1 September Spirit I from Devonport and Spirit II from Melbourne.

Earlier that day Spirit of Tasmania arrived in Melbourne for the last time, having crossed Bass Strait 2,849 times and carried a total of 2.3 million passengers, 807,000 cars and 185,000 containers. Spirit of Tasmania departed Melbourne just before midnight on 5 September headed for Sydney where she arrived on 7 September. In late December it was announced that the ship had been sold to Fjord Line.

2003-present

Spirit of Tasmania III on the Mersey River, Devonport

In March 2003 it was announced that TT-Line would begin operating a third ship, the Spirit of Tasmania III, from Devonport to Sydney in early 2004. The last service from Sydney to Tasmania operated by the Australian Trader had ceased in 1976. The new ship was also ex Superfast Ferries having been built as the Superfast II in 1995. Superfast II was handed over to TT-Line 30 September and went to the Nerion yard for refitting after the works and renaming to Spirit of Tasmania III, she set off on the evening of 10 October. She arrived in Hobart on 30 October berthing No. 6 Macquarie wharf for more fitting-out to be done. Spirit of Tasmania III set out for a voyage from Hobart to Devonport with 500 people aboard. She stayed in Devonport for a day and then moved on to Melbourne then to Sydney. Spirit of Tasmania III debuted on the Sydney to Devonport run on 13 January 2004.

On 5 June 2006, the Tasmanian government announced that the Sydney to Devonport service would cease on 28 August and the ship sold.[3] It was announced 11 July 2006 that Spirit of Tasmania III had been sold to Corsica Ferries; she has now been renamed Mega Express Four.

Fleet

Spirit of Tasmania II on Port Melbourne
Spirit of Tasmania III entering Sydney Harbour

Current fleet

Ship Flag Built Gross tonnage Length Width Passengers Cars Knots
Spirit of Tasmania I Australia 1998 29,067 GT 194.3 m 25 m 1,400 630 28.5
Spirit of Tasmania II Australia 1998 29,067 GT 194.3 m 25 m 1,400 630 28.5

Former ships

Ship Years in service Gross tonnage Current status
Abel Tasman 1985-1994 19,212 GT Since 1995 Theofilos of Nel lines (Greece)
Spirit of Tasmania 1993-2002 31,356 GT Since 2011 Princess Seaways of DFDS Seaways (Denmark)
Incat 046 Devil Cat 1997-2002 5,617 GT Since 2006 T&T Express of Government of Trinidad and Tobago
Incat 045 Tascat 1997 5,007 GT Since 2010 Condor Rapide of Condor Ferries (Guernsey)
Incat 050 Devil Cat 1998-1999 5,743 GT Since 2009 Manannan of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company
Incat 030 Condor 10 1999 3,241 GT Since 2011 Hanil Blue Narae of Hanil Express (Korea)
Spirit of Tasmania III 2003-2006 23,663 GT Since 2006 Mega Express Four of Corsica Ferries (Italy)

References

  1. ↑ TT Line Company Pty Ltd Australian Securities & Investments Commission
  2. ↑ TT-Line Company Pty Ltd Tasmanian Government
  3. ↑ Officials cast doubt on Melbourne - Devonport ferry ABC News 6 June 2006

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