His excuse of wanting to secure more work for Australians, if not Tasmanians, from the state's single greatest infrastructure spend in a COVID-hit economy seems fair. It may even be popular.

Yet it has thrown a cloud over the future of the critically important Bass Strait ferry service, and once again turned it into a political football.

Effectively, we're back to square one, with doubts not only about the timeline for delivery of the new vessels, but also in regard to their design and their capacity.

Rather than having a plan, and remember this is a government that prides itself on plans, we have a range of possibilities with nothing ruled in and nothing ruled out.

This is why there has been a flood of nauseating calls for catamarans.

Fans of the cats - and specifically those of Hobart shipbuilder Incat - say epithets like "spew cat" and "vomit comet" should be left in the past when the vessels were smaller than they are today.

Incat owner Bob Clifford, meanwhile, claims he could build a much bigger design.

What is forgotten is that the catamarans that sailed on the rough waters of Bass Strait did so in peak season. That is, summer. How would they fare in mid-winter?

Catamarans are also unsuited to the freight task that the Spirits have made their own, which would impact on TT-Line's bottom-line and the Tasmanian producers for whom the "last on, first off" overnight service works well.

Mr Gutwein should - at a minimum - have ruled out moving away from the twin ferry model and the plan to acquire bigger, better versions of what we already have.

This would still leave open options for pursuing greater Tasmanian, or at least Australian, content in the build.

On this point though, it should be remembered TT-Line already did what the Premier has now ordered a taskforce to consider. And the government repeatedly shared its advice.

In 2017, for example, then Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding said in a media release: "While it is unfortunate that there are no Australian shipyards with the capacity to build the new Spirits, we will ensure Tasmanian products are used in the fit-out."

The simple truth is Australia does not build big ships.

We can see this in the fact the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia is currently working on delivering two replenishment ships for the Royal Australian Navy.

At 173.9 metres long the ships were too big for shipyards in this country irrespective of the federal government's willingness to pay more to build naval ships domestically.

For comparison, the current Spirit ferries are 194.3 metres long while TT-Line - and the government - had signed a contract that set the new ships at 212 metres.

Again, however, what's been said previously is now up in the air.

In early 2018, when a letter of intent was signed with a reputable German shipbuilder, we were told the new Spirits would "be delivered in time to commence operations on Bass Strait in 2021".

Earlier this year, with the German yard in strife, TT-Line found an alternative builder, Finland's Rauma Marine Constructions.

The "target" for delivery then slipped to the first vessel being handed over in late 2022 and the second in late 2023.

Last month's announcement blew this timeline out of the water, with the government's statement that it remains "committed to building two new ships within our 2028 timeframe" having little credibility.

This was, after all, far from what the Liberals were saying at the last election.

Broken promises aside, Mr Gutwein says his government's decision was all about "exploring local opportunities" rather than exporting jobs to Europe.

There's reason to speculate the Morrison government had its hand in the move, and it is revealing that the Premier volunteered that he had spoken to the Prime Minister and the South Australian government.

Federal investment in expanding Adelaide's Osborne shipyard, and particularly its ship lift, may open the door to the homegrown build many support in principle.

The government has also been happy to talk up the prospect of a "partial build". That is, building most of the ships overseas and moving them to Australia for completion.

Either would mean jobs for Australians - and possibly Tasmanians - but they would come at a price. The added complexity raises the likelihood of delays, and you'd be safe to bet your house on a budget blowout.

If Mr Gutwein had stayed the course with the European build criticism would have been largely muted by the argument that we just don't build big ships in Australia.

Now he's raised the expectation of jobs and if he doesn't deliver - or if delivering means we pay too much, have to wait even longer, or end up with an inferior service - then he will rightly cop the blame.