Tasports Turns Away Flinders Ship

More troubles have hit the government-contracted shipping service to Flinders Island. TasPorts has confirmed it banned Southern Shipping's ship, Matthew Flinders, from its port at Flinders Island yesterday. The ship was mid-sail and was forced to turn back to the private port at Bridport. A spokesman for TasPorts says the company is in breach of a commercial agreement. The Greens spokesman Kim Booth says Southern Shipping has not paid its port fees and the government needs to act.The Matthew Flinders was turned around mid-voyage."I've been calling on them for well over a year now to establish whether in fact the service is operating within the terms of the contract the Government's got," he said. "If it were, then clearly the standard of the service that the Goverment's contracted for that island is inadequate and they've got to renegotiate the contract. "If it's not in compliance with the contract then the Government needs to immediately terminate the contract. Southern Shipping is also listed in the latest Tasmanian Collection Services Gazette for owing more than $75,000 to five businesses.