By Professor John Robertson, International Ferry Correspondent
From ABC News Australia, today:
Spirit of Tasmania ferry and port saga escalates with claims of safety risks, ‘appalling’ support and strained relationships. The former chair of Spirit of Tasmania operator, TT-Line, has appeared at a parliamentary inquiry and slammed the Tasmanian government for its “appalling” level of support during the bungled rollout of two new vessels. Michael Grainger also described a “challenging” relationship with the state-owned operator of Tasmania’s ports infrastructure over delayed facility upgrades, safety issues with the government’s interim solution, and that he had kept minister Michael Ferguson informed at each step.
As ‘Scottish’ media continue to feed on distorted accounts of the performance of CalMac, by reporters who have not, dare not (?) ever looked beyond Scotland for perspective, even to the Isle of Wight, TuS can now add Tasmania to ever-lengthening list of countries experiencing trauma as result of operating private ferry systems, paying dividends and keeping staff and maintenance costs as low as possible, to the list of reports on:
New Zealand – 4 cases of running aground, drifting toward rocks and hitting wharves in only two years due to under-staffing and under-training (Only man on the bridge could not disable the autopilot because he did not know to hold the button down for 5 seconds!). New ferries cancelled when incoming government refused to pay for them.
Greece – one passenger pushed to his death for arriving late and looking like an immigrant; tourists suffering in overcrowding and having to walk through waves onto beach carrying their cases; no service at all in off-season for smaller islands.
Isle of Wight – mass cancellations, summer prices 2 to 4 times CalMac equivalents to enable shareholder dividends.
Washington State – far older ferries, far more cancellations and far higher prices, staffing shortages due to low pay.
British Columbia – the same as Washington State.
Lake Ontario – cheap Romanian ferries unable to operate safely two years after delivery, vessels twice the age of CalMac’s and crewing so sparse as to risk disaster.
We had reports, also unflattering, on Alaska, the Channel Islands, Scilly Islands and Malta. I’ll leave you to find them.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
One thought on “You can now add Tasmania to New Zealand, Greece, Isle of Wight, Washington State, British Columbia, Lake Ontario, Alaska, Channel Islands, Scilly Islands and Malta ferries for less-safe, less-reliable, less-frequent and more costly systems than we enjoy in Scotland”