A summer freight crisis could be on the horizon for Tasmanian growers and producers, with a key Bass Strait service coming offline for nearly two months and leaving an industry in limbo as it waits for increased capacity offered by the new Spirits of Tasmania.

SeaRoad is taking one of its ships off the Bass Strait run today and placing it in dry dock for unavoidable maintenance.

Despite knowing back in April that the new Spirits wouldn’t be operating this summer, Premier Rockliff and Eric Abetz failed to let Tasmanian producers and freight operators know.

Those businesses were planning and investing for the new ships and their additional 40 per cent capacity, and they’ve been left high and dry.

Minister Abetz admitted in GBE scrutiny hearings that he has since asked SeaRoad to defer the drydocking because he knows that the shortfall will put significant pressures on freight forwarders.

Summer is peak season for freight across Bass Strait and it’s vital that Tasmanian growers and producers can get their products to market in a timely manner.

The Government must act quickly to avoid a summer freight crisis and make up the shortfall in freight capacity while the vessel is offline.

Labor is calling for the Government to prioritise fresh freight on overnight northbound Spirit crossings so that producers can get their harvests to market the next morning.

We are taking the concerns of businesses seriously and urge the Government to act now before it’s too late.

Janie Finlay MP
Shadow Minister for Primary Industries & Water