Tasmanian Ferry Docks for Final Time

The Spirit of Tasmania III has docked in Devonport for the final time. The Sydney-to-Devonport ferry made a low-key entrance to northern Tasmania on Monday, almost two months after its sale to Mediterranean operator Corsica Ferries.

Spirit III's final voyage lacked the fanfare of its launch in January 2004, when it was billed as a tourism boon to the island state.

Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon announced the ferry's sale in June, saying the loss-making vessel was no longer viable. Only a year before that, the government threw Spirit III a $115 million lifeline, but Mr Lennon said the domestic tourism decline had changed passenger forecasts. Corsica Ferries purchased the ferry for $111 million, which was $6 million more than its 2003 purchase price, in July. The ferry's government-owned operator, TT-Line, said the Spirit III vessel would be handed over to Corsica Ferries in Melbourne early next month. Source: AAP