Spirit of Tasmania IV ferry to stay in Scotland another month as lease offer considered

Spirit of Tasmania IV is being stored at Leith port in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Supplied: Andy Marriott)

By state political reporter Lucy MacDonald

Ferry operator TT-Line says it has entered "live commercial negotiations" after receiving an offer to lease the newly built Spirit of Tasmania IV ship.

As a result, the Bass Strait ferry will remain in Scotland until the end of February as TT-Line "move to finalise terms and conditions".

The much-larger passenger and freight ferry — one of two being commissioned to replace the existing aging Bass Strait ferries — left the shipbuilding yards in Finland at the end of November, and has remained at the port of Leith in Edinburgh ever since.

The second new vessel, Spirit of Tasmania V, is still under construction.

Spirit IV was initially slated to arrive in Devonport in Tasmania's north-west in late 2024, but TT-Line failed to build a berth in time.

Devonport does not have a berth large enough to accommodate the bigger ship, meaning it has been unable to operate its intended Geelong to Devonport route.

Leith Port in Edinburgh, Scotland, was identified as the most cost effective and climate-suitable location to
store the new ships. (Supplied: Forth Ports)

The state government says the berth will not be ready until February 2027, although it is pulling out all the stops to try to get it ready for October 2026.

In the meantime, the Tasmanian government has been looking at leasing out the ship. 

Spirit IV is being kept in Scotland because TT-Line claims it will be easier to lease it out from there. 

Leasing, chartering a way to recoup running costs

Earlier this month, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the government would make a decision about the ship's future by the end of January.

"We'll do our due diligence and we'll ensure that we get the best value for taxpayer funds," he said.

"Should we not be able to lease the Spirit, then of course we'll bring the Spirit back to Tasmania."

Now the government says TT-Line has entered "live commercial negotiations" and will finalise terms and conditions before a decision is made.

It also said it was considering other proposals from interested parties.

As TT-Line will need further time to complete the negotiations, the ship will remain in Leith until the end of February.

Cost of docked ship mounting

One of the main arguments for leasing out Spirit IV is to try to recuperate some money — even when not being used the ship is costly.

During the two months it has been in Scotland it has already racked up quite the bill.

The first month of storing the ship was a lot more expensive, with TT-Line charged $47,534 per week.

Since then, the cost has dropped to $23,915 per week and will remain that price during February.

Crewing costs have come in at about $380,000 a month. The government says that would be even more expensive in Tasmania. 

The total ancillary costs to date, which include one-off costs for entry into the port of Leith including pilotage, are about $250,000.

It is estimated that subsequent months will cost $30,000.

All up, that means the total spent on storing the Spirit of Tasmania IV since it has sat unused in Scotland is a little more than $1.2 million. 

Bring them home

Labor MP Josh Willie described the announcement as "a complete charade".

"It just goes to show that Premier Rockliff will do anything to keep hiding Spirit IV in Scotland," he said.

"He's embarrassed to bring Spirit IV to Tasmania because this is the biggest stuff-up in Tasmania's history when it comes to infrastructure."

Mr Willie said it was just "an extension of time to avoid the inconvenient truth".

"The Spirits need to come [home], Premier Rockliff needs to deliver on his promise with a local fit-out to give local businesses a boost," he said.

"End the charade, just bring them home."

Labor said it also doubted the ship can be leased out.

First published at ABC News, January 31, 2025