Spirit-Of-Tasmania-1

The departure of the 'Spirit of Tasmania' from Geelong to Devonport on the night of Dec 11, 2025, was delayed for hours after a problem with a bow thruster had occurred. It was believed it had ingested a rope. Travelers were waiting on the dock to board for hours. The ship eventually left after 11 p.m.

The 2nd engineer of the 'Spirit of Tasmania I' suffered serious injuries requiring surgery after falling during engine maintenance work on March 6, 5, while the vessel was berthed in Geelong, Victoria, during what began as a routine oil change on one of the ship’s main engine turbochargers. An official investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), published on Nov 27, has determined that safety management procedures were not properly followed during the incident. Complications during the work led the crew to decide to replace the turbocharger’s bearing housing cover plate, requiring multiple trips climbing on and off the engine. While descending from the engine, the engineer fell heavily and suffered a serious knee injury that later necessitated surgical intervention. The investigation uncovered several critical safety lapses. Despite regular access being required, no standard safe route to the top of the main engine had been defined or established: After working on top of the main engine, the engineer walked along its rocker covers before stepping across to the opening in the railing, slipping off the cover and falling. The decision to replace the bearing housing cover plate represented a significant expansion of the originally planned work scope, yet existing safety protocols were not updated accordingly. The existing Job Safety Analysis was not reviewed, nor was a new prestart safety checklist completed by those conducting the work, due to perceived time pressure, and a perception by those involved that the work was low risk. Consequently, the risk of slips and falls involved in the work was not properly considered. The ATSB’s broader findings revealed that the safety management system procedures for Job Safety Analyses were not effectively implemented at the time of the incident. The JSA for replacing the main engine turbocharger bearing housing cover plate was not in place, and JSAs covering other work on top of the engine did not address the risks involved in accessing the work site. Following the accident, the ship manager TT-Line had implemented several corrective measures, including providing a removable work platform for safe access to the engine tops on both the 'Spirit of Tasmania I' and the sister ship 'Spirit of Tasmania II'. The company also updated JSAs related to turbocharger and exhaust manifold work to include access risks. Full report: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/news-items/2025/procedures-not-followed-prior-crew-injury-spirit-tasmania-i

The 'Spirit of Tasmania 1' has been detained in July 2025, by Singapore maritime authorities over multiple safety concerns. Government surveyors boarded the vessel at 9a.m. (11a.m. AEST) to carry out checks. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) Port State Control has held the ferry from its scheduled departure while inspectors work through issues that must be fixed before it can leave port. The ferry operator TT-Line was unable to say when the ship would be cleared to sail. The detention was due to deficiencies in the fire detection system and visitor log. The detention was expected to delay the ferry’s return to the key Bass Strait route, which carries passengers and freight between the mainland and Tasmania. The 'Spirit of Tasmania 1' had been undergoing maintenance in Singapore ahead of its planned return to Australian waters. The ferry left Singapore on Aug 28 en route to Keelung with an ETA as of Aug 6.

A passenger on the 'Spirit of Tasmania' has died after going overboard. The body of the man was recovered from the water off Geelong, Victoria, on April 30, 2023, at ~08:50 p.m. The vessel turned around shortly after 8:00 p.m. while bound for Tasmania, as a search for the missing man and a headcount was conducted onboard. The passenger's death was not being treated as suspicious. Spirit of Tasmania ferry is now returning to port. It comes days after an Australian went overboard on a Royal Caribbean ship. 35-year-old Warwick Tollemache, from Brisbane, was identified as the man who fell from Quantum OTS into the Pacific ~1400km south of the Hawaiian islands late Tuesday night. Spirit of Tasmania 1 ferry A spokesperson for Victoria Police said police would prepare a report for the Coroner after a man’s body had been recovered from waters off Geelong at about 08:50 p.m. on Sunday, April 30th.

DISASTER warning service Aeeris will provide severe weather alerts on the high seas after sailing into a contract with the TT-Line Company for its Tasmanian ferries. The listed Chinderah-based Aeeris, headed by tech entrepreneur Kerry Plowright, will provide around-the-clock severe weather forecasting, monitoring and alerts for the shipping line’s two passenger ferries. The contract is for the Spirits of Tasmania 1 and 11. http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/business/chinderahbased-disaster-warning-service-aeeris-to-provide-maritime-advice-for-tasmanias-ferries/news-story/651e0b60c934aae6b0761a20411e8ccb

The search has been suspended for a man missing in freezing waters in Bass Strait after he fell overboard from the "Spirit of Tasmania 1" in the night of June 24, 2016. Police have found items of clothing and belongings believed to belong to the 45-year-old Ballarat man, who passengers saw fall into the water about 124 kilometres south-east of Port Phillip Heads at 11.40 p.m. The ferry was travelling from Melbourne to Tasmania at the time of the incident, which sparked a massive search of a 247 square kilometre area. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority was notified at 12.10 a.m. and coordinated the search with two helicopters capable of searching for the man at night, including the Victoria Police Air Wing, along with the Spirit of Tasmania ferries and two cargo ships. Water Police, four helicopters and the maritime authority's dedicated search and rescue plane joined the search from first light. But the plane arrived back in Melbourne shortly after 1pm without locating the man and a spokeswoman for the maritime authority confirmed the search has been suspended. The decision to suspend the search was based on expert medical advice that the man could not have survived past midday, taking into account various factors including water temperature and weather conditions. The circumstances leading to the man going overboard remained unclear, but Tasmanian police will speak with witnesses upon the ship's arrival in Devonport and seek any CCTV footage that may assist with the investigation. Passengers who saw the man go overboard alerted the ship's staff and they took immediate emergency action. A passenger aboard the ship posted on social media that all passengers were asked to gather in the main sitting area for three hours while the ferry joined the search. The "Spirit of Tasmania I" and "Spirit of Tasmania II" were released from the search on June 25 morning. The "Spirit of Tasmania II" arrived in Melbourne at noon while the "Spirit of Tasmania I" reached Devonport by 2.15 p.m. The night's scheduled crossings from Melbourne and Devonport both proceeded as normal. Tasmania Police was assisting with the investigation but the death is not being treated as suspicious.