Neha Patil (Editor)

MS Spirit of Tasmania I

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Yard number
  
1341

Draft
  
6.55 m

Length
  
194 m

Builder
  
Meyer Turku

MS Spirit of Tasmania I httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Name
  
1998—2002 Superfast IV 2002—present Spirit of Tasmania I

Owner
  
1998—2002 Superfast Ferries 2002 onwards TT-Line Pty. Ltd.

Operator
  
1998—2002 Superfast Ferries 2003—2006 TT-Line Pty. Ltd.

Port of registry
  
1998—2002 Patras,  Greece 2002 onwards Devonport,  Australia

Route
  
1998—2002 Patras-Ancona 2002 onwards Melbourne-Devonport

MS Spirit of Tasmania I is a fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route between Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast IV. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd. as MS Spirit of Tasmania I alongside the Spirit of Tasmania II.

Contents

Concept and construction

The Superfast IV was the second ship of the second pair (the former pair being Superfast I & Superfast II built in Germany) built for Attica Group's subsidiary Superfast Ferries at Kvaerner Masa-Yards for their Adriatic Sea services from Patras to Ancona She was a sister ship of Superfast III.

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 for-end 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.

    • 1998—2002: Superfast IV

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

    2002 Onwards: Spirit of Tasmania I

    TT-Line took over their new ship on 10 May of the same year she along with her sister were handed over to TT-Line Pty. Ltd. At Patras. 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. 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—Devonport route. The new pair of ships were very popular and the Tasmanian Government decided that a third ship was needed for a Devonport-Sydney service, subsequently purchasing a third superfast ferry and renaming it Spirit of Tasmania III. However it proved to be unprofitable and the ship was sold in September 2006.

    2005 event

    During the night of 3 / 4 February 2005 Spirit of Tasmania I ran into heavy seas in the Bass Strait while sailing from Melbourne to Devonport. At approximately 2 am the seas reached a height of 20 metres. 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.

    References

    MS Spirit of Tasmania I Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA