The Superfast III was the first ship of the second pair built for Attica Group's subsidiary Superfast Ferries at Kvaerner Masa-Yards for their Adriatic Sea services from Patras to Ancona. She was a sister ship of.
Amenities and deck layout
Spirit of Tasmania II has 11 decks, with 222 cabins.
Decks 1 to 6 are used to hold cars and trucks. The for-end of Decks 1 and 2 are accessed via a ramp from deck 3. Deck 6 holds cars using a hoistable platform.
Deck 7 has cabins, a reception area, small movie theater, lounge bar, gaming lounge, gift shop, tourism bureau, main bar, two restaurants and a children's playroom.
The Superfast III entered service on 16 March 1998 on Superfast Ferries' Patras–Ancona route. On 1 November 1999 en route from Patras to Ancona a fire broke out in a freezer trailer on the vehicle deck, most likely in the electrical system. The ship's vehicle deck drenching system along with crew put the blaze out. All 307 passengers and 106 crew were evacuated and picked up by nearby ships. The ship arrived back in Patras the day after the disaster, and investigations began. 14 dead bodies were found in a truck. These bodies were later identified as refugees from Kurdistan. After the investigations had concluded, the Superfast III set sail for the Blohm + Voss shipyards in Hamburg, Germany for repairs, arriving there on 3 December. The repairs took 71 days during which 450 tons of steel, 84 km of cable, 1,200 m2 of insulation material and cladding were replaced, and a new tilting ramp and new public areas were installed. The cost to the underwriter was US$26 million. On 3 March she arrived back in Greece and once again operated on the Patras–Ancona route. In March 2002 the Superfast III was sold to TT-Line Pty. Ltd..
2002 Onwards: ''Spirit of Tasmania II''
TT-Line took over their new ship on 10 May 2002. Along with her sister ship Superfast IV, she was handed over to TT-Line Pty. Ltd. at Patras. The two ships then sailed to the Neorionship yard on the island of Syros. During the ship's dry docking, works such as painting the new livery and superstructure, as well as a general overhaul were carried out. At the yard she was renamed Spirit of Tasmania II. She subsequently sailed to Hobart, Tasmania, where she was refitted for her new service. On 1 September 2002 she entered service on TT-Line's Melbourne–Devonport route. Between 21 July and 8 August 2014 the ship was docked for maintenance at the Captain Cook Graving Dock in Sydney. On 13 January 2016, the ship broke from her moorings at Station Pier, Melbourne during a storm and was withdrawn for repairs. The ship was repaired and re-entered service on 17 January.
