The Spirit of Tasmania IV has suffered a serious steering fault during its first week of commercial service, leaving passengers delayed for more than four hours after the vessel encountered difficulties while approaching Port Phillip Heads in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Shipping data showed the vessel performing several about-face turns between 3am and 4am before it was eventually able to enter Port Phillip Bay. The ship then slowed dramatically on three separate occasions, becoming nearly stationary, before finally docking in Geelong at 10.25am, roughly four and a half hours behind schedule.
Passengers left waiting with little information
Travellers on board say they were largely kept in the dark as the delays mounted. Passenger Sandra Liane described hearing a terse intercom announcement at around 5.30am advising that the vessel would not reach port until approximately 10.30am, with no detailed explanation provided.
"There was a message come over the intercom that, look, we can't get into the harbour until about 10.30am. So at this stage it was about 5.30am," Liane said.
Her frustration extended beyond the delay itself. "There's big guys in the boardrooms that need to sit down and have a little think. A big think, actually. And maybe be held accountable for what's going on," she said.
TT-Line confirms fault and tug assistance
Ferry operator TT-Line confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the vessel's master identified a fault as the ship was preparing to transit Port Phillip Heads. After addressing the issue and safely passing through the heads, tug support was called in as a precaution.
TT-Line CEO Chris Carbone said the tug had to travel from Geelong to reach the ship, which was the primary cause of the extended delay. He said safety remained the company's top priority and that technicians had been engaged to diagnose the fault.
"The Company is investigating the matter and has engaged technicians to diagnose the issue," Carbone said, adding that the company apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
Not the first steering problem for the new fleet
Thursday's incident is not an isolated event. The Spirit of Tasmania V, the fleet's other new vessel, is already under investigation after it veered outside charter shipping limits last month, requiring crew to bring it to a complete stop in order to regain control of the steering.
The pattern of early-service faults has drawn pointed criticism, though the responsible minister, Felix Ellis, defended the ships as "hugely complex bespoke builds" and said it was important to work through any issues during these initial sailings.
Federal safety bureau expands investigation
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has now widened its existing investigation into the Spirit of Tasmania V steering incident to cover Thursday's events involving Spirit of Tasmania IV. The expanded probe reflects the bureau's highest priority classification in the marine transport sector: incidents involving Australian-flagged passenger vessels.
Investigators are set to download and analyse voyage data recorder information from both ships, physically inspect relevant equipment, interview crew members and other key personnel, and review all supporting documentation and records.
The dual investigation underscores growing concern about the reliability of the new vessels so early in their operational life. Steering failures on passenger ferries are treated with particular seriousness by transport safety authorities, given the potential consequences in busy or confined waterways such as Port Phillip Bay. The ATSB's work on both incidents is ongoing, and further findings are expected as technicians and investigators complete their assessments.
Passengers and observers will be watching closely to see whether the probe produces concrete recommendations before the vessels continue their regular scheduled crossings between Victoria and Tasmania.
