John Duigan returns to King Island service

Posted 27 November 2020

TasPorts, owner and operator of Bass Island Line (BIL), has advised that the John Duigan is set to resume its standard weekly shipping service to King Island, following the successful completion of works to replace the vessel’s propeller shafts.

John Duigan will officially resume services between the Island, Victoria and mainland Tasmania on Saturday 28 November 2020.

Repair works were undertaken in South Australia and the vessel returned to water earlier this week. Investigations into the root cause of the failure remain ongoing and include thorough assessments of the shaft.

TasPorts Chief Executive Officer Anthony Donald said irrespective of the vessel utilised, BIL has ensured the continuity of services for the King Island community during the outage.

“Bass Island Line ensured weekly services continued for the King Island community through charter arrangements with Eastern Line’s King Islander,” he said.

“Bass Island Line has demonstrated consistently its commitment to delivering a safe and dedicated shipping service for the King Island community since operations commenced in April 2017,” Mr Donald said.

“TasPorts and Bass Island Line remain committed to ensuring ongoing engagement and consultation with the King Island Shipping Group and King Island Council as we continue to work together to achieve a reliable and fit-for-purpose service.”

As part of its return to schedule, the crew on board John Duigan are following all appropriate COVID-19 protocols, including essential traveller requirements.