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Australian 'ferries fiasco' ship docks in Edinburgh

Matt Sudders A large red and white ship with Spirit of Tasmania written on the sideMatt Sudders
Spirit of Tasmania IV arrived in Leith from the Finnish shipyard where it was built

A newly-built ferry which is too big for its home port in Australia has arrived in Edinburgh where it will be mothballed.

The Spirit of Tasmania IV could remain in Leith for almost three years due to issues with existing infrastructure in the city of Devonport.

The 212m-long (695ft) ship was built at a yard in Finland, but had to be moved before winter over concerns it could be damaged by pack ice.

A new berth to accommodate the ship, and sister vessel Spirit of Tasmania V, may not be ready until late 2026 or 2027 and the saga has sparked a huge political row on the other side of the world.

The vessel was due to operate in the Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian state of Victoria, and had been described as a “game-changer” for the island’s tourism industry.

However, a series of delays in its construction, skyrocketing costs and problems upgrading current berths led to one Australian politician describing it as “the biggest infrastructure stuff-up” in the state’s history.

In August, the infrastructure minister, Michael Ferguson, and the chairman of ferry operator TT-Line, which is state-owned, resigned due to the debacle.

The cost of building the two LNG dual-fuel ships has risen by A$94m (£47.5m) from A$850m (£430m) when the contract was signed in 2021.

Meanwhile the cost of upgrading current infrastructure in Devonport, which handles about 450,000 passengers a year, has more than quadrupled from an original estimate of A$90m (£45.5m).

TT-Line will pay A$47,534 (£24,031) per week to berth the ship at Forth Ports, according to figures published by the Tasmanian government.

Its transport minister, Eric Abetz, said: "It is prudent to relocate the ship to Leith whilst leasing options are explored.

"To have it relocated to Tasmania whilst these options are explored would be far more expensive and waste a significant amount of taxpayer money."

The Spirit of Tasmania berthed in Leith. The ship is partially obscured by buildings. A barge sits in the water in the foreground. It is blue. The other ship is mainly white, with a red hull and the words 'Spirit of Tasmania' in red on the side.
The ship is meant to be used to ferry passengers between Tasmania and the Australian mainland

The ship will be stationed at Leith’s Imperial Dock, the same space previously occupied by the MS Victoria, which housed more than 1,000 Ukrainian refugees.

There is no indication of when it will be ready to sail to Tasmania, but in October it was reported the berth at Devonport would not be ready until October 2026 by the earliest.

TT-Line’s chief executive, Bernard Dwyer, said the operator was looking into leasing out the vessel.

But the size of the ships means they are unlikely to be of use in solving Scotland’s own well-documented issues with ferries on the west coast.

A spokeswoman for Forth Ports said: "The Spirit of Tasmania arrived in the Port of Leith yesterday and she will stay here for a period of time.

"The port regularly provides berthing for vessels requiring temporary layup and whilst commercial matters are confidential the arrangements for the Spirit of Tasmania reflect the non-operational status of the vessel and the limited day-to-day interaction with the port."