Tag: australia

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Financial Ferry Fiasco in Tasmania as local funds are spent in Finland and Government ‘spruiks’ to cover up its bungles

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It’s a bit like BBC Question Time, filmed mostly in England and with Nigel Farage on the panel, counted as part of the BBC Scotland budget [It is! See below1] but the above much-delayed and inflated-cost ferry, built in Finland and stored at the cost of millions in Leith, over the winter, was supposed to benefit the local Tasmanian economy by using ‘local content’ but, from ABC Business, two days ago: Finnish-built ship engines have been included in the so-called “local content” in the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries. The delivery of the new ferries has dominated public discourse in … Continue reading Financial Ferry Fiasco in Tasmania as local funds are spent in Finland and Government ‘spruiks’ to cover up its bungles

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Major Canadian privatised ferry company persisting with far older fleet because it needs to pay bonuses and dividends, had to spend far more on maintenance than CalMac

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Thanks to JB for this link. From BC Ferries (Canada) January 31st 2024, the above aging fleet. CalMac has no large ferries over 50, only the about to be retired MV Isle of Arran at 41. All of the others are less than 40 and only five are over 25. There are six new larger ferries, built on the Clyde and in Turkey, due in service within the next year or so. BC Ferries will have none before 2030. BC Ferries has spent more than $130m on maintenance in the last 5 years, so perhaps $260m in the 10 years … Continue reading Major Canadian privatised ferry company persisting with far older fleet because it needs to pay bonuses and dividends, had to spend far more on maintenance than CalMac

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Another reason to build new ferries close to home?

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From the Maritime Executive yesterday: More Woes for Tasmania’s Ferries: Newbuild Goes Adrift in a Storm – Just days after it emerged that the brand-new Spirit of Tasmania IV will be transferred to Scotland and laid up, sister ship Spirit of Tasmania V broke loose from its outfitting quay at the Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) shipyard due to high winds. https://maritime-executive.com/article/more-woes-for-tasmania-s-ferries-newbuild-goes-adrift-in-a-storm This follows only one week after: A newly built Spirit of Tasmania ferry will be temporarily stored at a shipyard in Scotland while the Tasmanian government explores options to lease or charter the ship until a home berth can be completed. The vessel must … Continue reading Another reason to build new ferries close to home?

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New Tasmania ferry stupidly bought from Finland nearly 18 000 miles away, and trapped by ice, must winter in the Sunshine on Leith

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(c) Visit Scotland There are around 10 major shipbuilders in Australia, including Incat which builds large catamaran ferries, yet the Tasmanian government has made things devilishly complicated by ordering 2 new ferries from Finland which, even after a wee break in Leith, will arrive two years before the new berths are completed and have to be leased to some other island – Iceland? According to ABC, today: A newly built Spirit of Tasmania ferry will be temporarily stored at a shipyard in Scotland while the Tasmanian government explores options to lease or charter the ship until a home berth can … Continue reading New Tasmania ferry stupidly bought from Finland nearly 18 000 miles away, and trapped by ice, must winter in the Sunshine on Leith

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Government of Tasmania bedevilled by costly ferry ‘stuff up’ to rival New Zealand’s $3 billion ferrymageddon and to make the Arran Ferry Fiasco one of those things in a teacup

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Regulars here will know that New Zealand’s lifeline Cook Straits ferry system is in a real crisis as the Government refuses to pay $3 billion for 2 new ferries. Just round the corner in Tasmania, population 573 000, 12 times that of Arran but like Arran, relying on two ‘lifeline’ ferries, there’s a ‘stuff-up’ (Worse than a fiasco or less bad?). Here’s the stuff-up, from Yahoo News yesterday: The start date for two new larger Bass Strait ferries has been pushed further back, with vital berth upgrades several years behind an already delayed schedule. Cost blowouts, finger pointing between state-owned … Continue reading Government of Tasmania bedevilled by costly ferry ‘stuff up’ to rival New Zealand’s $3 billion ferrymageddon and to make the Arran Ferry Fiasco one of those things in a teacup

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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

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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 … Continue reading 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

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New Zealand government has no plans to avert another terrifying incident when ageing ferry drifted towards rocks, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers

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From Newsroom NZ today: In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions and the collapse of key industries like coal mining. Add to that the Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ bombshell decision not to pump another billion dollars into the Interislander mega ferries, sinking the project and leaving a question mark over KiwiRail’s future as a shipping operator. “I … Continue reading New Zealand government has no plans to avert another terrifying incident when ageing ferry drifted towards rocks, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers

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Oz Government-owned ferries fiasco – exploding Chinese engines and taking-off in heavy swells

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Four Emerald class ferries, owned by the Government of New South Wales, with Chinese engines, serve the Sydney Manly area in Australia. Two are currently laid up. In 2022, the Sydney Morning Herald reported: Captains of the new Manly ferries have been warned not to sail directly into waves near the entrance to Sydney Harbour in heavy swells in case their vessels become airborne, a leaked internal memo has revealed. The advice was to masters of the second generation Emerald-class ferries, which are at the centre of a fierce debate over whether they can handle large swells as well as … Continue reading Oz Government-owned ferries fiasco – exploding Chinese engines and taking-off in heavy swells