TT-Line ferries introduce new measures to help animals and their owners

Passengers travelling with pets aboard the new TT-Line vessels will have access to their animals during the voyage in just one of the new measures to bring comfort to pet owners >>

the Spirit of Tasmania arrives in Geelong. Picture: Mark Wilson

PASSENGERS travelling with pets aboard the new TT-Line vessels will have access to their animals during the voyage and will be able to monitor their enclosures via an app.

Government Business Enterprise hearings in Hobart heard the Bass Strait ferry operator had consulted the RSPCA about how to improve the transport of animals.

The conditions under which pets are transported on the current ferries was in the news after traveller Holly Alexander’s doberman rottweiler cross Ester to Victoria disappeared from the Spirit of Tasmania while in transit in January last year.

It follows years of complaints about the conditions in which pets are transported aboard the current ferries.

The first new vessel is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024, the second in the last quarter of the same year and will feature marked improvements in animal transport, TT-Line CEO Mike Granger said.

“We’ve actually moved the pet area to the centre part of the ship which is totally separate from the vehicle deck and will have access for passengers to actually go down and visit their animals at any time, day or night,” he said.

Holly Alexander and her dog Ester. Ester disappeared on the Spirit of Tasmania. Picture: Supplied

“Those areas will be locked individually so if somebody has a cabin, the cabin key would open their area for their pet, so it will be open all hours for them to do that.

“We couldn’t be happier working with the RSPCA and taking their advice on this, and also the chief veterinary officer as well.

And passengers will have access to an app to keep an eye on their pets.

“We’re actually looking to have video surveillance on each of those areas that the owner would have access to, instead of having to go down and be able to check on their animal at any stage as well.

The company’s executives also faced questions about the transport of livestock, following a court decision relating to the over the death of 16 polo ponies on board in 2018, but were unable to answer citing legal advice.

In the Burnie Magistrates Court in October, Magistrate Leanne Topfer found TT-Line guilty of 29 animal welfare charges in relation to the horse fatalities.

The company is appealing the case.

The committee also heard that TT-Line had terminated its agreement to host electronic gaming machines on its vessels and would not offer them on the new vessels.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with gaming, but it just doesn’t really fit in with our market going forward,” Mr Graigner said.

TT-Line appeals polo pony conviction

THE operator of the Spirit of Tasmania ferries has appealed a conviction handed down over the death of 16 polo ponies on board back in 2018.

In the Burnie Magistrates Court in October, Magistrate Leanne Topfer found TT-Line guilty of 29 animal welfare charges in relation to the horse fatalities.

Magistrate Topfer was due to hand down her sentence soon.

It was revealed on Tuesday, TT-Line had appealed the conviction to the Supreme Court of Tasmania with a hearing set down for January.

In handing down her verdict, Magistrate Topfer found TT-Line failed to inspect the trailer and solely relied on a declaration made by the trailer’s driver

She also found the ferry operator had failed to ensure the horses were individually stalled and to ensure there was adequate ventilation.

The horses were travelling back from a polo event and were found dead inside a converted refrigeration trailer after a Bass Strait crossing between Devonport and Melbourne in January 2018.

Just days after Magistrate Topfer handed down her verdict, TT-Line imposed a snap ban on transporting livestock across Bass Strait.

The company said it was acting on legal advice. The snap ban threw Tasmania’s racing industry into a spin.

The ban was lifted after TT-Line reached a deal with the state government.

The Department of Natural Resources and Energy seconded an officer to provide advice to TT-Line as to the suitability of animals for transport, after reviewing their health and “suitability” of transport vehicles.