World · East Asia & Pacific · 15 hrs ago
Spirit of Tasmania ferries stop using autopilot in Port Phillip Bay
TT-Line has stopped using autopilot in Port Phillip Bay after steering faults on its new Spirit of Tasmania ferries.
Spirit IV’s steering system failed last Thursday as the ship approached Geelong, during its fifth passenger voyage.
The fault happened as the crew switched from autopilot to manual steering, and a backup system was used.
A tug escorted Spirit IV to Geelong, where it arrived about four hours late.
In October, its sister ship Spirit V briefly left the bay’s charted shipping lane during a trial voyage.
Australia’s Transport Safety Bureau is investigating both incidents, while TT-Line says it has taken interim safety measures.
Autopilot remains in use in Bass Strait, and the bureau’s report is due by the middle of next year.
TT-Line has stopped using autopilot on its new Spirit of Tasmania ferries while they transit Port Phillip Bay.
The move follows separate steering faults on Spirit IV and Spirit V near Geelong.
Spirit IV’s primary steering system failed last Thursday as the ferry approached the bay, and a tugboat escorted it to Geelong.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating both incidents.
TT-Line says autopilot will still be used in open waters of Bass Strait.
- Who
- TT-Line, operator of the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries.
- What
- The ferries are no longer using autopilot during Port Phillip Bay transits after separate steering faults.
- When
- The change was announced on Monday, November 9, 2026, after the incidents in recent weeks.
- Where
- Port Phillip Bay, near Geelong, Victoria.
- Why
- As a precaution after steering faults on Spirit IV and Spirit V. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Spirit V briefly moved outside the bay's charted shipping lane during a trial voyage after a steering fault.
Spirit IV's primary steering system failed as it neared Port Phillip Bay, and a tugboat escorted it to Geelong.
Spirit IV conducted an equipment exercise off Devonport that TT-Line described as a planned, routine check.
TT-Line chairman Ken Kanofski said the ferries were no longer using autopilot in Port Phillip Bay.
- Vessels affected
- Spirit IV and Spirit V
- Bay autopilot use
- Suspended during Port Phillip Bay transits
- Spirit IV failure
- Primary steering system failed near Port Phillip Bay
- Spirit IV delay
- Arrival in Geelong delayed by about four hours
- Investigation
- Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating both incidents
What people are saying
There's an ongoing investigation, and I don't want to prejudice that by kind of declaring exactly that everything's been dealt with,
When Spirit IV docked in Geelong, an inspection found a frustratingly minor issue with mechanical electrical processes in the steering console itself.
So at the moment, we're not using autopilot in the bay, in Geelong, in Port Phillip Bay,
But we've taken a range of interim measures to ensure that the ships and the passengers are safe, and that's our number one priority here.