The row over future of ferry on £24,000-a-week 'Scottish sojourn'
A political row has broken out over the future of an Australian ferry on a ‘Scottish sojourn’ in Edinburgh.
The Spirit of Tasmania IV, which measures 212 metres long, has been stored in the Port of Leith since December at a cost of £24,000 a week, due to it being unable to fit in the existing berths in the Australian city of Devonport.
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Hide AdA new berth designed to accommodate the ferry will not be ready until late 2026 or into 2027.


Although it was constructed in a shipyard in Finland, it was feared it could be damaged by the freezing winter there and the decision was made to store it in Scotland - with the possibility of potentially leasing it to another country.
However, potential lease opportunities being explored in December, including a lease to New Zealand, all now look to have fallen through.,
Australian Labour party shadow treasurer Josh Willie said the state government was not being transparent with the full cost of the ship's stay in Scotland and called for the vessel to be taken directly to Tasmania. The weekly berthing costs do not include crewing costs of $380,000 (£193,000) per month, or other ancillary charges.
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Hide AdHe said: "The previous update said, 'Ongoing charges for ancillary services are accrued on a do and charge basis and will be made public when finalised', however, today's update contains no mention of them whatsoever," he said in a statement.
"Surely now — more than six weeks into Spirit IV's Scottish sojourn — there are known ancillary costs that could be declared. In the interests of transparency, the government should provide them."
Parallels have also been drawn with the “ferry fiasco” in Scotland, where state-owned ferries company CMAL ordered ships that were too large to fit existing infrastructure.
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