The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground just outside Picton following a steering failure on Friday night.
The vessel, carrying 47 people, including eight commercial vehicle drivers and 39 crew members, departed Picton at 9.45 pm before encountering trouble about 2.8 km north of its starting point.
Interislander general manager Duncan Roy confirmed to state media that there were no injuries and that the vessel remains watertight. Passengers have been provided with lifejackets and are being checked over, while efforts are underway to refloat the ferry as tidal conditions allow.
Maritime New Zealand is investigating the incident, and Transport Minister Simeon Brown has reassured the public that there is no danger to life or the environment.
The grounding comes amid a series of recent mechanical issues with the Interislander fleet, including the January 2023 breakdown of the ferry Kaitiaki in the Cook Strait. The incident highlights ongoing challenges for the Interislander service, including maintenance issues and the abandonment of a costly project to build new ferries and redevelop ports.
Wow this photo shows how much the Aratere has run aground! pic.twitter.com/SDS5PIeA7w
— Brady Dyer (@BR4DY) June 21, 2024
Carrying 39 crew members – are they qualified ship’s engineers and bridge officers – the complement the interisland ferry used to carry when we could be assured of getting from one island to another? I doubt it. The ferries used to travel from Wellington to Lyttleton for years safely and on time instead of the paltry 30 kilometres they seem unable to make way with now.
Privatisation drove wages down for everyone execept the CEOs and the shareholders. Experienced seafaring men became just too expensive. Utter incompetence is the price we pay for progress. The sheer embarrassment of a ferry run aground because of ‘steering failure’. Unbelievable.
This is the difference between a ‘boat driver’ and a qualified Captain…
We travel with Blue Bridge…not that it’s more reliable, but it does seem to have qualified Bridge Officers, Mates and Captains. The fleet seems newer and more modern, and if they have a problem vessel, they’ll lay it up for repairs and/ or modernisation and then lease another vessel to make up for the loss to maintenance.
& you’re right- privatisation has only benefitted ‘those in the know’ and the ‘Old Boys / Old Girls’ who are Masonically-slipped into these BoD / CEO / CFO positions.
I would opt to scrap the Interislander fleet due to age and unreliability and absorb Blue Bridge into a Public-owned business model with a new vessel ordered every 2-3 years to replace the now dangerous and unreliable fleet of ferries.
Noteworthy was that the defunct Labour Party was going to purchase new ferries that were actually too long in length to make the tight turn leading out into the Cook Strait from Picton.
How’s that for ‘complex thinking and planning’ by the PTB???….
There were eight commercial vehicle drivers plus 39 crew so no other passengers. Just the usual bunch. Not sure what the fcuk they’re playing at, is sabotage completely ruled out?
A power pylon falling over here, a ferry grounding there, and potholes always with the occasional 3-weeks to clean-up land slips blocking roads…
Then we have the EQC / ACC / denial of Supported Living benefits for the elderly and permanently sick who draw GRI that can’t even partially fill a small shopping trolley…!