After four months of negotiations, Australian TT-Line Company Pty has firmed up its shipbuilding deal with German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) for the construction of two new Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ships.
The duo signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) back in January, which was followed by talks on the final vessel design specifications.
TT-Line will be paying EUR 219 million (USD 262 million) per vessel.
Once delivered in 2021, the two RoRos will replace the current Spirit of Tasmania vessels on the Bass Strait.
“In preparing a business case for the Tasmanian Government, TT-Line Company Pty Ltd exhaustively assessed vessel types and fleet configurations to determine the most suitable vessels to operate daily crossings on Bass Strait,” TT-Line chairman Mike Grainger said.
Grainger added that the final design specifications provided for 212 metre long vessels that will accommodate 1,800 passengers and up to 600 passenger vehicles.
“The new purpose-built vessels will also be able to carry increased freight volumes when compared to the current Spirit of Tasmania vessels,” he said.
FSG was endorsed by the TT-Line Board after the company shortlisted a number of international shipyards to build the new vessels.
It is currently building Cruise Ferries for Irish Ferries and Brittany Ferries which are very similar in design to the new Spirits. FSG has also recently designed and built RoPax ferries for Canadian BC Ferries and Scottish Caledonian MacBrayne.