The state government has received a report from a taskforce re-examining the Spirit of Tasmania vessel replacement plan, but will sit on it for more than a week before it is released.
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The taskforce was appointed on August 12 to investigate domestic options for the replacement of the two TT-Line vessels, due to reach the end of their lifespan by 2028.
This was despite a recommendation from the TT-Line board to sign a contract with Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions.
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While the government left the door open on that proposal, it wanted to take a break over six months to investigate other options which would benefit the nation's shipbuilding workforce.
A state government spokesperson on Monday said the taskforce's report had been received and would be considered by cabinet at its next meeting on March 15.
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said it would be a "massive leap into the unknown" to go with an Australian shipbuilder.
He said it was perplexing new ships were being speculated upon which bore no resemblance to TT-Line's business case.
"It seems quite bizarre that we have shifted so far from something everyone was in furious agreement on," Mr Martin said.
"They've spent years looking at this issue and supposedly the taskforce is going to uncover something in the past six months that TT-Line hasn't uncovered in the last six years."
Sticking a catamaran on Bass Strait would potentially be the biggest gamble any government has ever made.
- Luke Martin
Mr Martin said it was frustrating to the tourism sector that its needs had been put aside in favour of the country's shipbuilding industry, Western Australian-based company Austal, and Tasmanian company Incat.
"I think there is a desire to see the Australian shipbuilding industry take off and I respect that," he said.
"It seems some insight has been lost on what the ships were about - tourism, agriculture, and reliable Bass Strait access.
"Austal have never built a ship anywhere near the scale to what the Spirits are so there is a leap of faith required there.
"And Incat are proposing ships that bear no resemblance to the Spirits.
"Sticking a catamaran on Bass Strait would potentially be the biggest gamble any government has ever made given the scale of the billion dollars."
Mr Martin said political motivations would be the only reason to consider a catamaran model.
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Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
