Ferry compo failures damage Tasmania's tourism image

Tasmania's image as a welcoming tourist destination has been hobbled by failures from ferry operator TT-Line. 

TT-Line cancelled ferry sailings by Spirit of Tasmania 1 from Devonport to the Australian mainland during the week, leaving some travellers high and dry. 

Worse, ferry passengers were denied overnight accommodation and food vouchers when they were forced to spend extra days on the island. 

Spirit of Tasmania 1 travelled to Singapore in July as part of its scheduled maintenance program. 

Its departure from Singapore was then delayed by faults and paperwork problems, meaning TT Line had to cancel several services. 

People booked to sail on August 5, for instance, told the Hobart Mercury their sailing had been pushed back to Thursday."

Remember that the Spirit ferries are the only option for people travelling between Tasmania and the mainland with a vehicle. Unlike with airline passengers, there are no alternative sailings. 

TT-Line refused the delayed passengers any compensation, leaving passengers to fend/pay for themselves for the period they were delayed. 

They did offer to refund fares - which was absolutely useless for those travelling with a vehicle. 

A spokesperson for TT-Line told the newspaper that "no compensation outside of refunds would be offered".  So basically an FU to customers.

    
Perhaps because caretaker Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff has a totally unneeded stadium to pay for. And budget bottom lines are out of control in Tassie (see below). 

TT-Line Company Pty Ltd, trading as Spirit of Tasmania, is a Tasmanian Government-owned business enterprise that has provided ferry services between mainland Australia and Tasmania since July 1993.

As it refuses to accept any responsibility when it lets its customers down potential users might want to make sure they have travel insurance. 

The team at Tourism Tasmania must be pulling their hair out in frustration. 

* TT-Line and TasPorts are the entities responsible for the fiasco regarding the two new Finnish-built ferry vessels currently on their way to Tasmania from Europe. These vessels cannot be used until a new dock is completed in Devonport - at the earliest sometime next year. The budget for the dock project has blown out from $90m to $375m during delays. The two new ferries were originally promised for 2021. 

The Tasmanian Government last week increased the debt limit for TT-Line after learning it would exceed its existing cap.

Tasmanian Treasury advised presumptive treasurer Guy Barnett that the TT-Line would breach its $990 billion debt cap in September. The approval enables TT-Line to borrow up to $410 million more from state financier TASCORP.

Happy days. 

Spirit of Tasmania: a major step forward or a ferry bad mistake?

Melbourne is a global city, alive with art, culture, fashion and gourmet attractions.

Geelong is a very nice place, but has none of these attributes.

But anyone wanting to catch a ferry from Tasmania to the Australian mainland will no longer be docking in Melbourne.

As of October 22, the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Devonport to the mainland will bid farewell to Station Pier, Port Melbourne, and operate from a new "state-of-the-art" terminal, the Spirit of Tasmania Quay at Corio Bay in Geelong (above).

The TT Line, which operates the ferries, is beside itself with excitement, saying: "The brand-new, purpose-designed Spirit of Tasmania Quay terminal will be fitted with cutting-edge technology and exceptional facilities for an enhanced travel experience.

"With easy access and ample parking, undercover areas for vehicles, seamless boarding and security processes, and comfortable passenger lounge with a café and children's play area, our new Geelong terminal will make your journey truly unforgettable." 

Unfortunately, a lot of regular passengers, who actually want to go to Melbourne, are less than thrilled, as was underlined by a story in The Age newspaper this week.

The final sailing from Melbourne will depart Station Pier on the evening of Saturday, October 22, and the first sailing will arrive in Geelong at Spirit of Tasmania Quay on the morning of Sunday, October 23.

The change comes after 37 years and many people are asking a one-word question. Why?

Even the Spirit's own website is not sure how foot passengers will make their way from the new Quay in North Geelong to the city of Melbourne. 

"GeelongPort is working with the Department of Transport and City of Greater Geelong to investigate opportunities to connect Spirit of Tasmania Quay to surrounding transport hubs and popular destinations," it says.

The closest stations are North Shore Station and North Geelong Station.

The problem is that a simple look at Google Maps shows these are a 1.4km and 1.9km walk respectively from the terminal. That's a fair walk in the rain with a suitcase.

And people in the transport industry point out that freight will now have to go by road to and from Geelong, sometimes in peak-hour traffic, rather than being loaded and unloaded right on the Melbourne waterfront. 

Oops! But I'm sure someone has done well out of the new $135 million, 12-hectare passenger and freight terminal.