MS ''Spirit of Tasmania II'' is a

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

operated by TT-Line between

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

and Devonport in Australia. Built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards at Turku New Shipyard in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS ''Superfast III'', since 2002 she has sailed for TT-Line as MS ''Spirit of Tasmania II''.

Concept and construction

The ''Superfast III'' was the first ship of the second pair (the former pair being ''Superfast I'' and ''Superfast II'') built for Superfast Ferries at Kvaerner Masa-Yards for its

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services from

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Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

. She was a sister ship of '' Superfast IV''.

Amenities and deck layout

''Spirit of Tasmania II'' 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 ship's 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 III''

The ''Superfast III'' entered service on 16 March 1998 on Superfast Ferries'

service. On 1 November 1999 en route from Patras to Ancona a fire broke out in a freezer trailer on the vehicle deck, most likely in the electrical system. The ship's vehicle deck drenching system along with crew put the blaze out. All 307 passengers and 106 crew were evacuated and picked up by nearby ships. The ship arrived back in Patras the day after the disaster, and investigations began. Fourteen dead bodies were found in a truck. These bodies were later identified as refugees from

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. After the investigations had concluded, the ''Superfast III'' set sail for the Blohm+Voss shipyards in

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, Germany for repairs, arriving there on 3 December. The repairs took 71 days during which 450 tons of steel, 84 km of cable, 1,200 m² of insulation material and cladding were replaced, and a new tilting ramp and new public areas were installed. The cost to the underwriter (

Attica Enterprises Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. The Group's operations include its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries, which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II, and Blue Star Fer ...

) was US$26 million. On 3 March she arrived back in Greece and once again operated on the Patras to Ancona route. In March 2002 the ''Superfast III'' was sold to TT-Line.

2002 Onwards: ''Spirit of Tasmania II''

TT-Line took over their new ship on 10 May 2002. Along with her sister ship '' Superfast IV'', she was handed over to TT-Line at

. The two ships then sailed to the

Neorion Neorion is one of the oldest Greece, Greek heavy industries, located in Ermoupolis, on the Greek island of Syros. Today, it is one of the few remaining major industrial corporations in what used to be the industrial and commercial center of Gree ...

ship yard on the island of Syros. During the ship's dry docking, works such as painting the new livery and superstructure, as well as a general overhaul were carried out. At the yard she was renamed ''Spirit of Tasmania II''. She subsequently sailed to

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

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, where she was refitted for her new service. On 1 September 2002 she entered service on TT-Line's

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to Devonport service. Between 21 July and 8 August 2014 the ship was docked for maintenance at the

Captain Cook Graving Dock Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. In 2015 it was refurbished in Devonport. On 13 January 2016, the ship broke from her moorings at

Station Pier Station Pier is a historic Australian pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage R ...

, Melbourne during a storm and was withdrawn for repairs.Spirit of Tasmania breaks free from its moorings at Station Pier
''

The Mercury Mercury most commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * M ...

'' 14 January 2016 The ship was repaired and re-entered service on 17 January.

References

External links

Spirit of Tasmania official websiteSpirit of Tasmania II - Ferries of Tasmania
{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2019 Bass Strait ferries Ferries of Australia Ships built in Turku Superfast III-class fast ropax ferries 1998 ships