The Spirit of Tasmania’s operator, TT-Line, has announced it will relocate Victorian operations from Port Melbourne to Corio Quay, north of Geelong.
TT-Line said the new 12 hectare site would include a passenger terminal building, vehicle marshalling for 600 cars and more efficient facilites.
Brett Winter, GeelongPort CEO said the deal with TT-Line will be an important investment in regional Australia, which will increase freight and exports for Victoria and jobs and tourism in regional Victoria.
“Bringing the iconic Spirit of Tasmania vessels to GeelongPort is a huge coup for the Geelong region. Each year over 450,000 passengers and 105,000 twenty–foot equivalent units of freight sail with Spirit of Tasmania” he said.
“Now more than ever, opportunities to inject new jobs and economic growth into the greater Geelong region are crucial. Working with our key stakeholders, we need to streamline our planning approvals so that this important project will be ready for 2022”.
The Corio Quay port base is about 70 kilometres south-west of Port Melbourne, roughly an hour’s drive from the capital city.
The project is expected to generate up to 75 construction jobs over the two year build program and provide new opportunities for regional logistic services.
“Whether it be passengers or freight, GeelongPort have designed a solution to optimize the overall port experience, whilst providing unprecedented flexibility and value to Spirit of Tasmania and their customers,” Brett said.
“Working with TT-Line, the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Geelong Council, we’ll develop a plan to ensure there’s appropriate infrastructure to support the increase in traffic and minimise any potential disruption to our customers and the local community during both construction and operational phases.”