Australian ship mothballed due to size arrives in Edinburgh

The vessel was due to operate in the Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian state of Victoria, and had been described as a “game-changer” for the island’s tourism industry.

However, a series of delays in its construction, skyrocketing costs and problems upgrading current berths led to one Australian politician describing it as “the biggest infrastructure stuff-up” in the state’s history, external.

In August, the infrastructure minister, Michael Ferguson, and the chairman of ferry operator TT-Line, which is state-owned, resigned due to the debacle.

The cost of building the two LNG dual-fuel ships has risen by A$94m (£47.5m) from A$850m (£430m) when the contract was signed in 2021.

Meanwhile the cost of upgrading current infrastructure in Devonport, which handles about 450,000 passengers a year, has more than quadrupled from an original estimate of A$90m (£45.5m).

TT-Line will pay A$47,534 (£24,031) per week to berth the ship at Forth Ports, according to figures published by the Tasmanian government.

Its transport minister, Eric Abetz, said: “It is prudent to relocate the ship to Leith whilst leasing options are explored.

“To have it relocated to Tasmania whilst these options are explored would be far more expensive and waste a significant amount of taxpayer money.”