Keel laying of Spirit of Tasmania car and passenger ferry

28th November 2022, Rauma shipyard celebrated the keel laying ceremony of Spirit of Tasmania IV, a vessel being built for the Tasmanian TT-Line Company.

A significant player in maritime transport between mainland Australia and Tasmania, TT-Line has commissioned two identical Spirit of Tasmania vessels from RMC. The large-scale project is the biggest individual foreign sale between Australia and Finland. The project will create a total of around 3,500 person-years’ worth of employment at the Rauma shipyard.

The traditional keel laying ceremony celebrates the official first step in the ship’s construction, marking in effect the birth of the ship. The keel of a ship is lowered into the construction dock, and customary lucky coins are placed under it. Spirit of Tasmania’s massive L-222 keel weighs approximately 230 metric tons.

Currently, the Spirit of Tasmania-named vessels carry around 450,000 passengers each year. The new vessels will operate on an extremely challenging route across the Bass Strait between Geelong, Victoria, and Devonport, Tasmania. The ferries have been specially designed to undertake this specific route.

The vessels will hold 1,800 passengers each and their gross tonnage will be approximately 48,000 metric tons. The new vessels will replace the Finnish-built sister ships from the 1990s.

Construction of the first vessel will be completed at the start of 2024 and the second in late 2024.