Latest news with #Kaiarahi
1News
13-06-2025
- 1News
Aratere passengers stuck on board for hours due to electrical fault
Passengers on the beleaguered Aratere ferry were stuck on board for hours overnight after it broke down on its way to Wellington. KiwiRail said the ferry left Picton at about 8.50pm, but then "experienced an unexpected issue with its propulsion drive" while sailing. That issue was fixed at about 1am and the vessel resumed its trip to Wellington, arriving later in the early hours. Aratere breaks down mid-service while the Kaiarahi is laid up for repairs. (Source: 1News) "Unfortunately, we will have to cancel the 6.15am Thursday morning sailing from Wellington to Picton and the 11.00am Picton to Wellington return sailing while we undertake further testing," a spokesperson said. ADVERTISEMENT "Interislander's customer service teams are currently amending bookings due to these cancellations. All affected customers will be offered an alternative sailing. If the alternative sailing is not suitable, passengers are welcome to reschedule for no additional cost. "We apologise for the inconvenience." The morning's headlines in 90 seconds including passengers stuck on ferry overnight, new flights to Sydney coming, and the weirdest things we leave in Ubers. (Source: 1News) Seven commercial vehicle drivers and four foot passengers were on board the ferry while it was anchored for hours, waiting for a specialist electrician to arrive. "We are looking after the customers on board and once the vessel returns to port, we will transfer them to alternative sailings," the spokesperson earlier said. It was initially expected the vessel would need to return to its Picton berth and a tug was on stand-by to provide assistance. In April, another electrical fault on the Aratere, with a hydraulic pump, saw a Wellington to Picton crossing and its return journey cancelled. ADVERTISEMENT Breakdown comes just two months before ferry's retirement The Aratere made headlines when it ran aground last year. It beached in Titoki Bay, near Picton, on June 21, after its steering autopilot was mistakenly engaged and staff were unable to switch it off. It was refloated on 23 June. Last month, KiwiRail announced the ferry would be retired by the end of August to make way for the construction of new port infrastructure in Picton. The ferry - which can hold 650 passengers, 230 cars and 28 rail wagons - is the only rail-enabled ferry in Interislander's fleet, and requires specialised loading and unloading infrastructure. Two new rail-enabled ferries are not due to arrive until 2029. Announcing its retirement, Rail Minister Winston Peters said it would have cost $120 million to keep the Aratere in service. "We will not waste one tax dollar on shuffling infrastructure to keep the vessel in service for the sake of it or add any infrastructure risk to our objective of completion in 2029."
Scoop
12-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Concerns About Ongoing Cook Strait Ferry Issues
Press Release – Maritime Union of New Zealand Mr Findlay says the Union had flagged the dangers of removing a key vessel from service, and the current situation showed that KiwiRail needed to rethink their Maritime Union of New Zealand says the Cook Strait ferry service is struggling, with the entire Interislander fleet currently either suffering breakdowns, wave damage or being taken out of service for audit. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the vital transport link is hanging by a thread, with ongoing disruption. He says the Aratere has once again experienced technical issues, following engine shaft problems in Picton on Wednesday evening that caused several hours of delays. Crew members and passengers had to remain on board before being able to disembark in Wellington. Over the previous weekend, Kaiarahi had its bow door damaged in rough seas, which will be welded shut to allow it to continue to operate until a scheduled dry dock in Singapore in July. Kaitaki is being pulled from service this weekend for a Maritime NZ audit. KiwiRail announced in May 2025 it would remove the rail-enabled Aratere ferry from service in August 2025, and is now seeking to cut 70 jobs for MUNZ members in the deck and catering departments on the Aratere. Mr Findlay says the Union had flagged the dangers of removing a key vessel from service, and the current situation showed that KiwiRail needed to rethink their plan. He says technical problems with Cook Strait ferries extended to the private operator Strait Shipping, and had their roots in a failure to invest in modern shipping and infrastructure by the Government and private operators. Mr Findlay says the cancellation of the iRex project by Finance Minister Nicola Willis was going to cause years of disruption as the iRex ferries would have been entering into service over the next year or two. New ferries announced by Minister of Rail Winston Peters are now not expected until at least 2029.
Scoop
12-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Concerns About Ongoing Cook Strait Ferry Issues
Press Release – Maritime Union of New Zealand Mr Findlay says the Union had flagged the dangers of removing a key vessel from service, and the current situation showed that KiwiRail needed to rethink their Maritime Union of New Zealand says the Cook Strait ferry service is struggling, with the entire Interislander fleet currently either suffering breakdowns, wave damage or being taken out of service for audit. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the vital transport link is hanging by a thread, with ongoing disruption. He says the Aratere has once again experienced technical issues, following engine shaft problems in Picton on Wednesday evening that caused several hours of delays. Crew members and passengers had to remain on board before being able to disembark in Wellington. Over the previous weekend, Kaiarahi had its bow door damaged in rough seas, which will be welded shut to allow it to continue to operate until a scheduled dry dock in Singapore in July. Kaitaki is being pulled from service this weekend for a Maritime NZ audit. KiwiRail announced in May 2025 it would remove the rail-enabled Aratere ferry from service in August 2025, and is now seeking to cut 70 jobs for MUNZ members in the deck and catering departments on the Aratere. Mr Findlay says the Union had flagged the dangers of removing a key vessel from service, and the current situation showed that KiwiRail needed to rethink their plan. He says technical problems with Cook Strait ferries extended to the private operator Strait Shipping, and had their roots in a failure to invest in modern shipping and infrastructure by the Government and private operators. Mr Findlay says the cancellation of the iRex project by Finance Minister Nicola Willis was going to cause years of disruption as the iRex ferries would have been entering into service over the next year or two. New ferries announced by Minister of Rail Winston Peters are now not expected until at least 2029.
Scoop
12-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Concerns About Ongoing Cook Strait Ferry Issues
The Maritime Union of New Zealand says the Cook Strait ferry service is struggling, with the entire Interislander fleet currently either suffering breakdowns, wave damage or being taken out of service for audit. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the vital transport link is hanging by a thread, with ongoing disruption. He says the Aratere has once again experienced technical issues, following engine shaft problems in Picton on Wednesday evening that caused several hours of delays. Crew members and passengers had to remain on board before being able to disembark in Wellington. Over the previous weekend, Kaiarahi had its bow door damaged in rough seas, which will be welded shut to allow it to continue to operate until a scheduled dry dock in Singapore in July. Kaitaki is being pulled from service this weekend for a Maritime NZ audit. KiwiRail announced in May 2025 it would remove the rail-enabled Aratere ferry from service in August 2025, and is now seeking to cut 70 jobs for MUNZ members in the deck and catering departments on the Aratere. Mr Findlay says the Union had flagged the dangers of removing a key vessel from service, and the current situation showed that KiwiRail needed to rethink their plan. He says technical problems with Cook Strait ferries extended to the private operator Strait Shipping, and had their roots in a failure to invest in modern shipping and infrastructure by the Government and private operators. Mr Findlay says the cancellation of the iRex project by Finance Minister Nicola Willis was going to cause years of disruption as the iRex ferries would have been entering into service over the next year or two. New ferries announced by Minister of Rail Winston Peters are now not expected until at least 2029.
