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Spirit of Tasmania has been part of the name of four different ships that have served as tourist passenger/vehicle ferries on Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The ships have all been owned and operated by the Tasmanian Government operated TT-Line.
Spirit of Tasmania (1993-2002)
The 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 14 hours. In 2002, Spirit of Tasmania was de-commissioned, and sold to Nordsjøferger and charted to Fjord line. she sailed from sydney on 24/12/02 as the m/s SPIR on arrival in Denmark she was refitted at Frederikshavn yard. She was then renamed Fjord norway and began on the Bergen - Haugesund - Egersund – Hanstholm rout until 17/11/05/when she took over the Bergen - Stavanger - Newcastle rout from the M/S Jupiter.
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 Superfast ferries in Greece - formerly Superfast III and Superfast IV. 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-)
The fourth ship Spirit of Tasmania III began service in 2004. It is also a Superfast ferry, formerly called Superfast II. It is a slightly smaller ship than the other two ferries in service. It travels a new route, the Devonport-Sydney route. It makes a one-way trip each day, taking approximately 20 hours.