Tasmanian Ferry Docks for Final Time
Spirit III's final voyage lacked the fanfare of its launch in January 2004, when it was billed as a tourism boon to the island state.
Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon announced the ferry's sale in June, saying the loss-making vessel was no longer viable. Only a year before that, the government threw Spirit III a $115 million lifeline, but Mr Lennon said the domestic tourism decline had changed passenger forecasts. Corsica Ferries purchased the ferry for $111 million, which was $6 million more than its 2003 purchase price, in July. The ferry's government-owned operator, TT-Line, said the Spirit III vessel would be handed over to Corsica Ferries in Melbourne early next month. Source: AAP