All aboard for a ferry happy birthday celebration as Spirit ships turn 20

THE TWO ferries which have carried more than six million passengers across Bass Strait are celebrating their 20th birthdays.

Spirit of Tasmania II notched up the milestone on February 28 while its twin will turn 20 next week. The ships’ crew marked the occasion with a celebration complete with a ship-shaped cake.

The iconic red and white vessels were built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland and started operating on Bass Strait in September 2002.

By the end of March the twin ferries will have each completed more than 6000 round trips across Bass Strait carrying almost 6.3 million passengers and more than 2.7 million passenger vehicles.

Spirit of Tasmania chief executive officer Bernard Dwyer said these numbers demonstrated the enormous value of the service to the Tasmanian tourism industry and the broader economy.

Two extra day sailings are scheduled for Tuesday and April 29 to meet increasing demand for travel in line with Easter and Victoria’s school holidays.

The Spirits will be replaced by two custom-built ships in three years after TT-Line signed a letter of intent with a German shipbuilder.

Last year, then Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding said the vessels could cost about $300 million euro each — or as much as $470 million at the current exchange rate.