Spirit of Tasmania IV arrives in Geelong four hours late after a steering fault

ABC News reported on 5 November 2026 that Spirit of Tasmania IV arrived in Geelong four hours late after a steering issue and a tugboat escort through Port Phillip Bay. Spirit IV, which made its first passenger voyage on Saturday, left Devonport the night before and was due to dock at Geelong at 6am. It docked at about 10:20am. ABC News said the issue happened during the ship’s fifth official sailing. The ABC understands the fault relates to a steering issue involving the ship’s autopilot.

Passengers were told early in the morning that the ferry would be arriving late, for a reason that was not disclosed. Mitchell Bruce, a passenger who runs the Ferries of Tasmania Facebook group, said: “The person came on the PA and announced the arrival would be delayed till about 8 o’clock [this morning].” He also said: “And then about five minutes later, the captain came on and said that the harbour had delayed the arrival of the ship entering, preventing them from entering the harbour until about 10:30am.” A track map shows Spirit IV made several turns outside Point Lonsdale before entering Port Phillip Bay, then more turns inside the bay. A tugboat shadowed the ferry as it made its way to the terminal.

In a statement, TT-Line said: “The Master of Spirit of Tasmania identified a fault as the vessel was preparing to transit through Port Phillip Heads on Thursday morning.” Chief executive Chris Carbone said tug support was deemed appropriate. “The tug had to travel to the ship from Geelong, hence the delay,” he said. The company said it was “investigating the matter and has engaged technicians to diagnose the issue”. “We apologise for the inconvenience to our passengers,” Carbone said. A TT-Line spokesperson said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority will be advised about the incident, as is standard practice.

ABC News reported that a similar autopilot steering issue on Spirit of Tasmania V is under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau after an incident late last month. Spirit V was on a trial voyage on 26 October off Point Henry, in Port Phillip Bay, when it had a steering problem. At the time, 94 crew and 20 passengers were on board, as well as a cargo of freight vehicles. The ATSB said: “At about 2030 [8:30pm], the ship was being controlled using its autopilot when it reached the junction between the Hopetoun Channel and Wilson Spit Channel to the north-east of Point Henry.” It said: “The required starboard turn was initiated, but the autopilot responded slowly, causing a wider-than-expected turn.” After the settings were adjusted, the ship’s “rate of turn” increased and the autopilot was “unable to arrest the turn”. “Steering control was then switched to manual, and port rudder applied to stop the turn,” the ATSB said. “Subsequent attempts to control the ship’s heading resulted in increasing heading oscillations from port to starboard, resulting in the ship briefly moving outside the charted shipping channel’s southern and northern limits.” “In order to regain control of the ship’s movement, it was then brought to a stop in the Wilson Spit passing channel to the south of the shipping channel’s limit before resuming its outbound voyage.” The ABC reported that the investigation intends to uncover whether a technical fault or human error contributed. A final report is expected in the second quarter of next year.