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TT-Line (Australia)
Encyclopedia
TT-Line Company Pty. Ltd. is a company operating ferries from Tasmania
to the mainland of Australia since 1985. The company was separated from the department of Transport Tasmania in 1993, becoming a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania
.
(ANL) would no longer operate a service across Bass Strait
.
After the cessation of ANL operations to Tasmania, the Tasmanian state's Department of Transport began a replacement ferry service, selecting the West German
ferry Nils Holgersson (3) for A$ 26 million. That amount was offset by a payment from the Australian federal government in compensation for placing the environmentally-sensitive Gordon River
off-limits to Hydro Tasmania
power generation schemes. The Nils Holgersson (3) was renamed Abel Tasman
on 21 April 1985, and set sail for Australia, she arrived in Devonport
on 20 June and began operating on 1 July 1985 from Melbourne
's Station Pier
.
-Trelleborg
route in Germany
in 1986. The ship, which was delivered to Lloyd Werft shipyard
in September 1993 and was renamed Spirit of Tasmania
, cost the Government A$150 million . The ferry left Germany on 5 October and arrived in Devonport 12 November.
On 1 November 1993 the original Tasmanian Department of Transport was replaced with the TT-line Pty Ltd, a business wholly owned by the state government of Tasmania.
The Spirit of Tasmania made her first commercial crossing of Bass Strait
on the night of 29 November 1993 and on that morning the Abel Tasman was laid-up and offered for sale, which was completed in April 1994, to the Ventouris group for A$24.7 million.
While the Spirit of Tasmania was dry-docked in 1997, the TT-line chartered a large multi-hull ferry, the Incat 045, from Incat
, dubbing her Tascat. She was used for two weeks as an experiment.
In the peak season of 97/98 TT-line chartered an Incat 046 to operate as Devil Cat from the old SeaCat Tasmania terminal in George Town
to Station Pier
. TT-line repeated this over the 98/99 peak season with the new Incat 050 (also marketed under the name Devil Cat).
In September 1999, the Spirit of Tasmania was forced out of action for two weeks due to fuel contamination, and TT-line chartered the Incat 030 HSC Condor 10
which at the time was laid up in New Zealand
as The Lynx. Once TT-Line arranged for the charter she immediately departed New Zealand and arrived in Tasmania 2 days later, and entered service to cover for the Spirit of Tasmania. Over the 99/00 summer season TT-line again charted a fast craft while the former Devil Cat Incat 046 was used on the Georgetown-Melbourne route during this peak period for three successive years.
In 2002 the Tasmanian Government and TT-line announced that they would be replacing the Devil Cat and the Spirit of Tasmania
with two Finnish built monohull ferries Superfast III & Superfast IV later that year at a price of A$290 million from Greek ship owner Attica Enterprises
. The Superfast III & IV where handed over at the Neorion
shipyard on the island of Syros
where they had been refitted. Superfast III was renamed Spirit of Tasmania II
and departed on 6 July and Superfast IV renamed Spirit of Tasmania I
and departed 7 July. They set off for Australia both arriving in Hobart
29 July where the final touches were put into place. After public inspections at Hobart
, Melbourne and Devonport the two new ships set sail on 1 September Spirit I from Devonport and Spirit II from Melbourne.
Earlier that day Spirit of Tasmania arrived in Melbourne for the last time, having crossed the Bass Strait
2,849 times and carried a total of 2.3 million passengers, 807,000 cars and 185,000 containers. She contributed A$160 million annually each year into Tasmania’s economy. Spirit of Tasmania Departed Melbourne just before midnight on 5 September headed for Sydney
where she arrived on 7 September. In late December in was announced that the ship had been sold to Nordsjøferger (Fjord Line
) for A$61 million.
ship as Spirits I & II this one was Superfast II a German built ferry completed in 1995 for Attica Enterprises's
Subsidiary Superfast Ferries
. Superfast II was handed over to TT-line 30 September and went to the Nerion yard for refitting after the works and renaming to Spirit of Tasmania III, she set off on the evening of 10 October. She arrived in Hobart
on 30 October berthing No.6 Macquarie wharf for more fitting out to be done. Spirit of Tasmania III set out for a voyage from Hobart – Devonport with 500 people aboard. She stayed in Devonport for a day and then moved on Melbourne then to Sydney. Spirit of Tasmania III made her maiden run from Sydney-Devonport 13 January 2004.
On 5 June the Tasmanian Government announced that the Sydney – Devonport service would cease on 28 August onwards and the ship to be sold.
It was announced 11 July 2006 that Spirit of Tasmania III would be sold to Corsica Ferries
for A$111 million (65 million Euros) she has now been re-named Mega Express Four
In the 2006/2007 financial year TT-line made a profit of $10.6 million with an underling operational profit of $4.2 million. Although TT-Line’s revenue was down on last financial year the profit is up. (Due to the sale of the loss operating Spirit of Tasmania III) TT-line expects to have an even harder time this year with more low cost air lines entering the scene in Tasmania, but they are hopeful to continue the growth of the company. In doing so they have enclosed the aft garage space abord the Spirit of Tasmania I & Spirit of Tasmania II. Also they have added mezzanine decks, allowing an additional 60 cars to be carried for peak season. Additionally the cinema is now used exclusively as a cinema, whereas before it was also used as a passenger seating area.
On 29 February 2008 Mr Charles Griplas took over the job as CEO from Peter Simmons who retired after 12 years with the company. Peter Simmons remained as a consultant to the company until 1 July 2008.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
to the mainland of Australia since 1985. The company was separated from the department of Transport Tasmania in 1993, becoming a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania
Government of Tasmania
The form of the Government of Tasmania is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
.
1985-1992
TT-Line (Tasmania) was formed in 1985 following the announcement that the Australian National LineAustralian National Lines
The Australian National Line was an Australian Government owned overseas and coastal shipping line that operated in Australia between 1956 and 1998, when the container shipping operations and naming rights were bought by French shipping line CMA CGM....
(ANL) would no longer operate a service across Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
.
After the cessation of ANL operations to Tasmania, the Tasmanian state's Department of Transport began a replacement ferry service, selecting the West German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
ferry Nils Holgersson (3) for A$ 26 million. That amount was offset by a payment from the Australian federal government in compensation for placing the environmentally-sensitive Gordon River
Gordon River
The Gordon River is one of the major rivers of Tasmania, Australia. It rises in the centre of the island at Lake Richmond and flows westward for about 193km where it empties into Macquarie Harbour on the West Coast of Tasmania. Major tributaries include the Serpentine River and the Franklin...
off-limits to Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as The HEC, is the government owned enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia...
power generation schemes. The Nils Holgersson (3) was renamed Abel Tasman
Abel Tasman (ship)
M/S Abel Tasman was a passenger/vehicle ferry built at shipyard Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, Germany in 1975.- History :The M/S Abel Tasman was the first ferry of the TT-line - a passenger/vehicle ferry that was built at Nobiskrug in Rendsburg for the TT-line as the Nils Holgersson for the...
on 21 April 1985, and set sail for Australia, she arrived in Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
on 20 June and began operating on 1 July 1985 from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's Station Pier
Station Pier
Station Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
.
1993-2001
In 1993 TT-line Tasmania replaced the aging Abel Tasman with another ex TT-Line (Germany) ferry. The new ship, Peter Pan (3), had replaced the former Nils Holgersson (3) (now Abel Tasman) on the TravemündeTravemünde
Travemünde is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes subsequently strengthened it. It became a town in 1317 and in...
-Trelleborg
Trelleborg
Trelleborg is a locality and the seat of Trelleborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 25,643 inhabitants in 2005. It is the southernmost town in Sweden.-History:...
route in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1986. The ship, which was delivered to Lloyd Werft shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
in September 1993 and was renamed Spirit of Tasmania
Spirit of Tasmania (first ship)
MS Princess Seaways is a cruiseferry operated and owned by the Danish shipping company DFDS Seaways on a route connecting Newcastle, England to IJmuiden in the Netherlands. She was built in 1986 as MS Peter Pan by Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany for TT-Line...
, cost the Government A$150 million . The ferry left Germany on 5 October and arrived in Devonport 12 November.
On 1 November 1993 the original Tasmanian Department of Transport was replaced with the TT-line Pty Ltd, a business wholly owned by the state government of Tasmania.
The Spirit of Tasmania made her first commercial crossing of Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
on the night of 29 November 1993 and on that morning the Abel Tasman was laid-up and offered for sale, which was completed in April 1994, to the Ventouris group for A$24.7 million.
While the Spirit of Tasmania was dry-docked in 1997, the TT-line chartered a large multi-hull ferry, the Incat 045, from Incat
INCAT
INCAT is a part of Tata Technologies Limited, a company in the Tata Group and operates in the field of Automotive Industry providing Engineering and Design solutions. The company took over a much larger player in the field namely INCAT, a Europe based company, in 2005...
, dubbing her Tascat. She was used for two weeks as an experiment.
In the peak season of 97/98 TT-line chartered an Incat 046 to operate as Devil Cat from the old SeaCat Tasmania terminal in George Town
George Town, Tasmania
George Town is one of the larger towns in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. At the 2006 census, George Town had a population of 4,266. It is the regional centre of the George Town Council Local Government Area....
to Station Pier
Station Pier
Station Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
. TT-line repeated this over the 98/99 peak season with the new Incat 050 (also marketed under the name Devil Cat).
In September 1999, the Spirit of Tasmania was forced out of action for two weeks due to fuel contamination, and TT-line chartered the Incat 030 HSC Condor 10
HSC Condor 10
The HSC Condor 10 is a 74m fast catamaran ferry formerly operated by Condor Ferries but now operating in Pusan, South Korea.-History:Condor 10 was built in 1992 at the Incat Yards in Tasmania, Australia as Condor Ten but was renamed Condor 10 shortly after...
which at the time was laid up in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as The Lynx. Once TT-Line arranged for the charter she immediately departed New Zealand and arrived in Tasmania 2 days later, and entered service to cover for the Spirit of Tasmania. Over the 99/00 summer season TT-line again charted a fast craft while the former Devil Cat Incat 046 was used on the Georgetown-Melbourne route during this peak period for three successive years.
2002
Spirit of Tasmania (first ship)
MS Princess Seaways is a cruiseferry operated and owned by the Danish shipping company DFDS Seaways on a route connecting Newcastle, England to IJmuiden in the Netherlands. She was built in 1986 as MS Peter Pan by Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany for TT-Line...
with two Finnish built monohull ferries Superfast III & Superfast IV later that year at a price of A$290 million from Greek ship owner Attica Enterprises
Attica Group
Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. The Group’s main operations are with its subsidiary Superfast Ferries which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II...
. The Superfast III & IV where handed over at the Neorion
Neorion
Neorion is one of the oldest Greek heavy industries, located in Ermoupolis, on the Greek island of Syros. Today, it is one of the few remaining major industrial corporations in that picturesque and nostalgic island town that used to be the industrial and commercial heart of Greece, before being...
shipyard on the island of Syros
Syros
Syros , or Siros or Syra is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is located south-east of Athens. The area of the island is . The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the capital of the island and the Cyclades...
where they had been refitted. Superfast III was renamed Spirit of Tasmania II
MS Spirit of Tasmania II
MS Spirit of Tasmania II is a super fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route from Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast III. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd...
and departed on 6 July and Superfast IV renamed Spirit of Tasmania I
MS Spirit of Tasmania I
MS Spirit of Tasmania I is a fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route from Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast IV. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd...
and departed 7 July. They set off for Australia both arriving in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
29 July where the final touches were put into place. After public inspections at Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Melbourne and Devonport the two new ships set sail on 1 September Spirit I from Devonport and Spirit II from Melbourne.
Earlier that day Spirit of Tasmania arrived in Melbourne for the last time, having crossed the Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
2,849 times and carried a total of 2.3 million passengers, 807,000 cars and 185,000 containers. She contributed A$160 million annually each year into Tasmania’s economy. Spirit of Tasmania Departed Melbourne just before midnight on 5 September headed for Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
where she arrived on 7 September. In late December in was announced that the ship had been sold to Nordsjøferger (Fjord Line
Fjord Line
Fjord Line is a Norwegian ferry operator offering services between Norway and Denmark. In addition to passenger transport, Fjord line operates cargo transport through its cargo division in Norway and Denmark.-History:Fjord Line was founded in 1993...
) for A$61 million.
2003-Present
In March 2003 it was announced that TT-line would be operating a third ship Spirit of Tasmania III from Devonport – Sydney beginning early 2004. the new ship was also a SuperfastSuperfast
Superfast is the debut album of the rock band Dynamite Hack, and was released on May 23, 2000.-Track listing:*Dynamite Hack - Packaging*Christopher Shaw - Mixing...
ship as Spirits I & II this one was Superfast II a German built ferry completed in 1995 for Attica Enterprises's
Attica Group
Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. The Group’s main operations are with its subsidiary Superfast Ferries which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II...
Subsidiary Superfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 ultra-modern car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari and Patras and Igoumenitsa...
. Superfast II was handed over to TT-line 30 September and went to the Nerion yard for refitting after the works and renaming to Spirit of Tasmania III, she set off on the evening of 10 October. She arrived in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
on 30 October berthing No.6 Macquarie wharf for more fitting out to be done. Spirit of Tasmania III set out for a voyage from Hobart – Devonport with 500 people aboard. She stayed in Devonport for a day and then moved on Melbourne then to Sydney. Spirit of Tasmania III made her maiden run from Sydney-Devonport 13 January 2004.
On 5 June the Tasmanian Government announced that the Sydney – Devonport service would cease on 28 August onwards and the ship to be sold.
It was announced 11 July 2006 that Spirit of Tasmania III would be sold to Corsica Ferries
Corsica Ferries
Corsica Ferries and Sardinia Ferries are marketing names used by Corsica Ferries, a France-based ferry company that operates traffic to and from the islands of Corsica and Sardinia...
for A$111 million (65 million Euros) she has now been re-named Mega Express Four
In the 2006/2007 financial year TT-line made a profit of $10.6 million with an underling operational profit of $4.2 million. Although TT-Line’s revenue was down on last financial year the profit is up. (Due to the sale of the loss operating Spirit of Tasmania III) TT-line expects to have an even harder time this year with more low cost air lines entering the scene in Tasmania, but they are hopeful to continue the growth of the company. In doing so they have enclosed the aft garage space abord the Spirit of Tasmania I & Spirit of Tasmania II. Also they have added mezzanine decks, allowing an additional 60 cars to be carried for peak season. Additionally the cinema is now used exclusively as a cinema, whereas before it was also used as a passenger seating area.
On 29 February 2008 Mr Charles Griplas took over the job as CEO from Peter Simmons who retired after 12 years with the company. Peter Simmons remained as a consultant to the company until 1 July 2008.
Fleet
Present ferries
- MS Spirit of Tasmania IMS Spirit of Tasmania IMS Spirit of Tasmania I is a fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route from Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast IV. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd...
(2002 - ) - MS Spirit of Tasmania IIMS Spirit of Tasmania IIMS Spirit of Tasmania II is a super fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route from Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast III. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd...
(2002 - )
Past ferries
- Abel TasmanAbel Tasman (ship)M/S Abel Tasman was a passenger/vehicle ferry built at shipyard Nobiskrug in Rendsburg, Germany in 1975.- History :The M/S Abel Tasman was the first ferry of the TT-line - a passenger/vehicle ferry that was built at Nobiskrug in Rendsburg for the TT-line as the Nils Holgersson for the...
(1985–1994) Now Theofilos of Nel linesMaritime Company of LesvosNEL LINES was established in 1972, as a company of popular base with shareholders the residents of Lesvos island and primary aim the purchase of a liner vessel for the Mitilini-Chios-Piraeus route...
(GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
) - Incat 045 Tascat (1997) Now Condor Rapide of Condor FerriesCondor FerriesCondor Ferries is an operator of ferry services between mainland England and the Channel Islands, between England and France, and between France and the Channel Islands.-Recent history:...
- Incat 046 Devil Cat (1997-1998 1999-2002) Now T&T Express of Government of Trinidad and Tobago
- Incat 050 Devil CatHSV-1 Joint VentureHSV-X1 Joint Venture was the name of a high speed catamaran passenger/car ferry previously operated by the military of the United States of America. Initially operated by the United States Navy, she was later transferred to the United States Army. This ship has served a deployment in Operation...
(1998–1999) Currently incat 050 of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company - Incat 030 Condor 10HSC Condor 10The HSC Condor 10 is a 74m fast catamaran ferry formerly operated by Condor Ferries but now operating in Pusan, South Korea.-History:Condor 10 was built in 1992 at the Incat Yards in Tasmania, Australia as Condor Ten but was renamed Condor 10 shortly after...
(1999) Now Condor 10 of Condor FerriesCondor FerriesCondor Ferries is an operator of ferry services between mainland England and the Channel Islands, between England and France, and between France and the Channel Islands.-Recent history:...
(EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) - Spirit of TasmaniaSpirit of Tasmania (first ship)MS Princess Seaways is a cruiseferry operated and owned by the Danish shipping company DFDS Seaways on a route connecting Newcastle, England to IJmuiden in the Netherlands. She was built in 1986 as MS Peter Pan by Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany for TT-Line...
(1993–2002) Now Princess of Norway of DFDS SeawaysDFDS SeawaysDFDS Seaways is a large Danish shipping company operating passenger and freight services across Northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions into the previously passenger only operation of DFDS Seaways.-History:The company has...
(DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) - Spirit of Tasmania III (2003–2006) Now Mega Express Four of Corsica FerriesCorsica FerriesCorsica Ferries and Sardinia Ferries are marketing names used by Corsica Ferries, a France-based ferry company that operates traffic to and from the islands of Corsica and Sardinia...
(ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
)