The Spirit of Tasmania booking website experienced technical problems after tickets for the new Spirits IV and V were released. Customers reported loading and error messages, while a notice said the system was handling unusually high demand and had placed users in a queue.
Tickets were scheduled to go on sale at 10am. By 11am, some customers could view bookings but were unable to complete them, while others could not load the website. The release included additional capacity on sailings that had previously sold out, lower-priced fares and the first tickets for new pet-friendly cabins.
Bookings had previously been limited to the capacity of the older Spirit vessels, with travel dates available only through June 6, 2027. The new release also made more space available for caravans. TT-Line, the operator, says the replacement ships will have 301 cabins, accommodate an additional 470 passengers and provide three times the caravan capacity of the existing vessels.
The new ferries are scheduled to begin operating between Geelong and Devonport from October 31. However, the Spirit of Tasmania website says the planned inaugural passenger sailing on that date has not been confirmed, with further details to be released soon.
The ships are intended to replace Spirits I and II, which have operated on the Bass Strait route since 2002. Their rollout has been affected by delays and cost increases. A parliamentary inquiry heard that the replacement program had cost $717 million more than forecast in the original business case, including an $81 million bailout for a Finnish shipbuilder and higher costs for a new Devonport wharf.
Tasmanian government minister Jo Palmer said she was pleased by the level of interest in the new vessels. She acknowledged that people were working to address the booking-system problems while describing the demand as evidence of excitement about the ships.