This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kjet (talk | contribs) at 10:13, 10 April 2008 (Spirit of Tasmania III has been branched off into it's own article at MS Mega Express Four). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 10:13, 10 April 2008 by Kjet (talk | contribs) (Spirit of Tasmania III has been branched off into it's own article at MS Mega Express Four)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Spirit of Tasmania has been part of the name of four different ships that have served as passenger/vehicle ferries on Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The ships have all been owned and operated by the Tasmanian Government owned TT-line.
Spirit of Tasmania (1993-2002)
Main article: M/S Spirit of TasmaniaThe first ship, Spirit of Tasmania started sailing in 1993. It sailed three return trips a week between Devonport, Tasmania and Station Pier in Melbourne, Victoria. The crossings were overnight and took approximately 15 hours. In 2002, Spirit of Tasmania was de-commissioned, and sold to the Fjord Line company in Norway and renamed Fjord Norway.
Spirit of Tasmania I and II (2002-)
The original Spirit was replaced with two ships Spirit of Tasmania I and Spirit of Tasmania II, which were purchased from Attica Enterprises's Subsidiary Superfast Ferries in Greece - formerly Superfast III and Superfast IV they were built by Kvaerner Masa Yards, Turku in 1998. They travel the same Devonport-Melbourne route, however each ship makes one trip each night, taking only ten hours. In peak periods, the ships also make day crossings. The introduction of these two ship have played a major role in giving the Tasmanian tourism industry a much needed boost. Before the introduction of these two vessels, many potential travellers had difficulty booking on the old Spirit of Tasmania due to capacity constraints. These new vessels have removed the bottleneck for tourists trying to reach the state and their unhindered access has resulted in a thriving tourism industry.
Spirit of Tasmania III (2004-2006)
Main article: MS Mega Express FourSpirit of Tasmania III was in service 2004—2006 on the Devonport-Sydney route.
Gallery
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mv Oriana, astern of Spirit of Tasmania I, March 2006
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Spirit of Tasmania I, Station Pier March 2006
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Spirit of Tasmania I, Station Pier, February 2008
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Spirit of Tasmania I and Queen Victoria, Station Pier, February 2008
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Spirit of Tasmania sailing through Port Phillip Bay in dusk seen from Elwood Beach.
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Spirit of Tasmania I enters into Port Frederick at Devonport, December 2007
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Spirit of Tasmania I sailing into Devonport
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Spirit of Tasmania I in the Mersey river Devonport
