Brand new ship for King Island to address community concerns

I am very pleased to announce a brand new vessel will be on the water this summer to meet the shipping needs of King Island.
The new vessel will be double the capacity of the current vessel, meaning it can more than meet the current freight and livestock demands of the Island, in addition to having capacity for future growth.
The Hodgman Liberal Government has listened to the King Island community and understands their freight concerns and this is a great outcome that I’m sure will be warmly welcomed by everyone in the community.
Importantly, the new ship will run on a triangular service between Grassy on King Island, Victoria, and the North West of Tasmania. This means there will be no more trans-shipping arrangements where freight originating from or destined for Victoria need to be transferred between vessels in Devonport, which is another great outcome for the community.
The service will continue to be operated through Bass Island Lines, which will now consult closely with customers on the Island and with other key stakeholders including Tasmanian-based meat processors about port schedules and logistics.
The Government will also continue to consult with the community on what the ideal long-term solution for the Island will be, including the possibility of a new, custom-built ship.
I’ll be on the Island myself in the next few days and I look forward to catching up with King Island stakeholders and members of the community to speak about this exciting news.
A comparison of the new and current vessels can be found here: http://bit.ly/ShipComparison
NOTE: Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding is currently on leave.
Jeremy Rockliff, Deputy Premier Liberal Member for Braddon