Spirit Quay Devonport
Fast-tracking completion of the new Spirit of Tasmania berth in Devonport.
The Port of Devonport, located on Tasmania’s north west coast, is home to the Spirit of Tasmania ferries that provide a vital connection for freight and passengers between mainland Australia and Tasmania.
In 2021, TT Line Company commissioned Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Construction to build two new, modern vessels to meet future passenger and freight demand. To accommodate the larger ferries, new terminal facilities were required at both Devonport and Geelong, providing upgraded berths, mooring systems, and higher-capacity landside passenger and freight facilities. Spirit Quay at GeelongPort was successfully delivered by Bureau Veritas as the project manager and became fully operational in October 2022.
From its start in 2023, the Spirit Quay project has encountered significant delay and cost overrun due to technical design, logistical and management complexities. In late 2024, the Tasmanian Government recognised that the project was in distress and vessels were at risk of being delayed until 2027.
The Government therefore directed a review of the project that resulted in Bureau Veritas being engaged to implement a full project recovery, this included:
- Executive oversight to improve governance and accountability.
- A rebuilt project delivery team and approach.
- A reset of all commercial aspects to improve certainty and reduce the risk of further delays and cost overruns.
- A full project design and methodology review to reduce both time and cost.
- A rebuilding of confidence for the Board, Government and the people of Tasmania.
Under the leadership of Executive General Manager for Infrastructure Projects, Paul Kirkwood, Bureau Veritas undertook a holistic review of the project to develop a robust recovery plan. Our plan provided a structured roadmap to stabilise the Spirit Quay project, addressing key areas including gaps in design, cost, and schedule management, risk mitigation strategies, and the restoration of confidence in project governance and execution.
As a result of this recovery approach, the project's go-live date was brought forward to October 2026. This accelerated timeline ensured that the necessary infrastructure was in place to support the arrival of the new ferries.
We said we would fix the spirits, and that’s exactly what we have done. I want to thank the new Chair Mr Ken Kanofski and project director Mr Paul Kirkwood for their hard work and dedication to getting this project on track. We also have many contractors on site, working tirelessly to pull out all stops to get this project delivered as quickly as possible and I thank them for their work.”
