Victoria’s extreme weather damages vehicles onboard the Spirit of Tasmania
Wild seas on Tuesday night caused havoc for passengers onboard the Spirit of Tasmania as vehicles moved during the voyage and became damaged as wind raged across Victoria’s coast.
Video from onboard the vessel captures the terror passengers endured as the boat battled wild waves and rough seas on its journey from Melbourne.
Loud crashes and a woman screaming can be heard in the footage, while the person recording struggles to remain upright.
“Had to change my underwear after this, honestly thought it was going to tip over. #spiritoftasmania”, reads the caption accompanying the YouTube video.
Passengers took to social media to share pictures of the damage to some vehicles transported in cargo during the stomach-turning voyage to the Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook page.
A semi-trailer can be seen tipped onto its side, crushing nearby vehicles when they were pushed from their position as the ship crossed the notoriously rough waters of the Bass Strait.
Wind gusts of up to 100kph hit Melbourne on Tuesday, causing damage to homes, uprooting trees and triggering wild seas.
As of 4pm the State Emergency Service had received more than 700 calls for assistance, mostly for help with fallen trees.
Spirit of Tasmania confirmed cargo and vehicles had been damaged during the wild voyage.
The ship itself was undamaged, but the rough weather and high winds caused delays to both ships coming from Melbourne and Devonport.
“Some cargo and passenger vehicles shifted on the overnight crossing from Melbourne to Devonport, damage to vehicles is still being determined and the company is dealing directly with affected parties,” a spokesperson said.
The Spirit of Tasmania’s Conditions of Carriage states: the company “shall in no circumstances be responsible for or liable to the passenger for any loss, damage, deviation, delay or detention to any luggage or to any vehicle arising from any cause whatsoever…”
One Facebook user said she had travelled on the ship before without experiencing wild weather issues:
“Wow the sea must have been crazy rough,” she wrote.
“I've done the trip several times without any problems. I'd say this is a one off kind of thing. Feeling sorry for all involved.”
“Another posted: With a swell over 7mts and a huge front with 90km southern wind gusts, it's no wonder this happened. Feel sorry for those car owners.”
Another social media user expressed her concern over the safety of those onboard.
“Cars can be fixed or replaced. Spare a thought for the poor passengers and crew who would have had a very rough and worrying 12 hours to endure,” she wrote.
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