Australia spotlight — Spirit of Tasmania
LeadershipSpirit of Tasmania, also known as TT-Line Company Pty Ltd, has become the first Australian ferry operator to be a participant in Green Marine. The company joined the program on March 31st.
“We are pleased to serve as leaders in our region and to assist the Australian marine sector to achieve even greater sustainability,” said Bernard Dwyer, the CEO and managing director.
Spirit of Tasmania provides both passenger and freight services between mainland Australia and Tasmania aboard twin ships. Dwyer says the Green Marine program appealed to the company as it embarks on an official environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting structure, and stewards a major investment in reducing the environmental footprint of its entire operations.
Using Green Marine’s performance indicators, Spirit of Tasmania will evaluate the performance of its two vessels to benchmark 2022 operations. The self-evaluation will serve as a pilot project to adapt the Green Marine program’s applicability to domestic ferry operators in Australia.
We’re eager to undertake this process to ensure that the framework is thoroughly applicable in terms of Australia’s maritime regulations, and perhaps encourage others to participate.
“It will also help to familiarize us with all the criteria for when we evaluate our 2023 performance for certification.”
New vessels in 2024
Its 2023 baseline will definitely improve a year later. Spirit of Tasmania has two new ferries on order from Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland to replace the existing vessels. The first is scheduled to arrive during the first quarter of 2024 with the second due at the end of the same year.
“We’ll be able to use LNG or diesel along with very low sulphur fuels with virtually no modifications in making the switch from one to another,” Dwyer explains. “And only minor changes will be required to the existing tanks for the ferries to run on hydrogen should that cleaner energy source become a viable option.”
The new ferries will be almost 10% longer, 24% wider, and eight per cent higher, which will increase the length of parking space and more easily facilitate vehicles of various heights.
“The vast majority of our clientele is drive-on passengers, and this new design will increase our overall vehicle lane metres by 59%,” Dwyer adds. “We’ve also built a state-of-the-art, three-level access ramp that will allow cars, caravans and heavy vehicles to board or disembark the ship at the same time, reducing the necessary length of stay at each terminal.”
Both new vessels are being equipped for plug-in power with shoreline capacity at both of the company’s new terminals to eliminate fuel use and emissions while at berth.
In the meantime, Spirit of Tasmania is doing all it can to make its current vessels as sustainable as possible, which includes ensuring that coffee cups and other materials used aboard by passengers and crew are compostable and biodegradable as much as possible.
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Introducing Spirit of Tasmania IV and V
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