Interislander's Aratere ferry to retire in August
When announcing the retirement, KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy said they would 'work through the detail of that decision - firstly with our own people, especially our Interislander crews.
'A ship is a special workplace and for some of our people, Aratere is a home away from home.
'The ship has been a workhorse of Interislander, giving huge service to freight customers and passengers alike since it entered service on Cook Strait in 1999.'
Reidy said moving from three ships to two would mean the loss of some roles, but that the exact number would depend on the outcome of a consultation process.
'We will also be talking to customers and other parties about operational arrangements for the transition period to new ships.
'This will include developing a workable ship maintenance programme once we move to two ferries, and de-risking impacts for the Cook Strait market for the four-year transition until the brand new, larger, rail-enabled ferries arrive.
'We are committed to continuing to run a safe and reliable service for passengers and freight throughout that period using Interislander's remaining two ships, Kaitaki and Kaiārahi.'
Aratere was due to leave Wellington next month to go to dry dock in Singapore, but that plan has clearly changed.
Instead, Kaiārahi will now go to dry dock on 27 June.
The update on Interislander's website says Aratere will provide cover and retire when Kaiārahi returns, which is expected to be between 18 and 30 August.
It says to prepare for a two-ship fleet, they're taking advantage of existing maintenance windows.
'This will ensure we maximise the two-ship capacity with a year on / year off dry dock maintenance programme during the transition period to the brand new, rail enabled ships in 2029.'
Interislander says anyone booked to travel on Aratere from September will receive an email or txt informing them of new sailing details.
There have also been timetable changes for anyone booked to travel on Kaiārahi from September.
The company acknowledges Aratere's retirement will have an impact on sailing availability, especially during the busy summer period, and is advising travellers to plan ahead.
'The retirement of Aratere in mid to late August will reduce the overall freight and passenger capacity of the Interislander fleet.
'You may have to travel at less popular times or be flexible on the dates you travel.
'If you are planning to travel during the summer peak it is best to get in early', the website warns.
The Aratere made headlines in June last year when it ran aground after leaving Picton.
An interim report into the grounding found the bridge crew did not know how to turn off the autopilot function on a new steering control system.
Minister for Rail Winston Peters announced a plan in March for what he is calling 'two new rail ferries' to replace Interislander's ailing fleet in 2029.
The plan replaces Labour's iRex project that would have delivered two new mega ferries and upgraded port infrastructure in Wellington and Picton.
The Government scrapped that project after budget blowouts to the infrastructure saw the total cost balloon to around $3 billion.
Peters said the ships the Government was now looking for would be 'approximately 200m long - longer and wider than the current fleet', however they would be shorter than the ferries ordered under Labour in 2021.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
4 days ago
- 1News
Charges filed against KiwiRail over Aratere grounding
Maritime NZ has filed two charges against KiwiRail following an investigation into the grounding of Interislander ferry Aratere last year. The Aratere grounded just north of Picton on June 21 last year, with 47 people onboard at the time. No one was injured and the vessel was refloated two days afterwards, with damage to its bow that required repair. Maritime New Zealand's chief executive Kirstie Hewlett said the charges relate to failures by the operator to keep crew and passengers safe while onboard the ferry, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. "This was a complex incident and important investigation given it focused on KiwiRail bringing in new systems to older vessels and broader safety management. ADVERTISEMENT "It required us to look at systems, policies and procedures, culture, within KiwiRail in relation to the incident." She said a "significant number of interviews were conducted" and a substantial amount of evidence collated. Three investigations are looking at what happened to the vessel when it hit the coastline near Picton. (Source: 1News) "The time taken to undertake this investigation, collate and review the evidence, and decide on compliance action is consistent with other complex and major incidents," she said. "As we have now filed charges in court, we cannot talk about what our investigation found," Hewlett said. In October last year, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission released an initial report into the incident, finding that less than three minutes passed between crew on the Aratere switching on autopilot and the ferry grounding. TAIC will release a final report with further analysis and any possible recommendations at a later date. ADVERTISEMENT Earlier this year, the Government announced the ferry would be retired by August 30 to make way for required Picton port redevelopment in preparation for the two brand-new Cook Strait ferries arriving in 2029. The grounding was just one of many incidents that have plagued the vessel in its 25 years of crossing the Cook Strait. Interislander responds In a statement, Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy told 1News the company has "made improvements to our processes and systems to avoid an event like this happening again". Roy said an internal investigation carried out in the immediate aftermath of the incident led to nine recommendations – the majority of which have been implemented. "This includes a full review of training processes especially for critical equipment, and reviews of our contractor management and risk management procedures." Since returning to passenger sailings, the Aratere has made more than 1100 crossings of Cook Strait, carrying over 133,000 passengers and 64,000 private and commercial vehicles, Roy said. The vessel's reliability is at 98% this financial year. ADVERTISEMENT In 2024, Interislander brought in independent overseas assessors DNV to review its three ships and their maintenance. Roy said DNV found the ships were in good condition for their age and with the company's stringent maintenance regime, there was no systemic reason why they cannot continue sailing safely until 2029. The charges Charge 1: s48 charge - in that it had a duty as a PCBU, namely to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of those passengers and crew who would sail aboard the Aratere and that failure exposed crew members and passengers to the risk of death or serious injury. Maximum penalty $1.5m Charge 2: s49 charge under HSWA - in that it had a duty as a PCBU, failed to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of those passengers and crew who would sail aboard the Aratere. Maximum penalty: $500,000
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
KiwiRail charged over Cook Strait ferry grounding
Photo: Supplied / Renee Horncastle Maritime NZ has filed two health and safety charges against KiwiRail over its grounding of the Interislander ferry Aratere nearly a year ago. On June 21, 2024, the ship grounded just north of Picton with 47 people on board. No-one was injured and the ship was refloated just under 24 hours later. A preliminary Transport Investigation Commission report found the event started with an autopilot mistake. Maritime NZ chief executive Kirstie Hewlett said the two charges filed under the Health and Safety at Work Act related to failures by KiwiRail to keep crew and passengers safe while on board. "This was a complex incident and important investigation given it focused on KiwiRail bringing in new systems to older vessels and broader safety management." Hewlett said Maritime NZ looked at systems, policies, procedures and culture within KiwiRail with regard to the grounding. Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said due to the charges being before the courts they could not comment on them. Roy said since the grounding the Cook Strait ferry service had made improvements to its processes and systems to avoid a repeat of this issue. "We immediately undertook an internal investigation which resulted in nine recommendations - seven of those recommendations have been completed. "This includes a full review of training processes especially for critical equipment, and reviews of our contractor management and risk management procedures." He said since the breakdown Aratere had made more than 1100 crossings of Cook Strait, carrying over 133,000 passengers and 64,000 private and commercial vehicles.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
KiwiRail charged over Aratere ferry grounding
Photo: Supplied / Renee Horncastle Maritime NZ has filed two health and safety charges against KiwiRail over its grounding of the Interislander ferry Aratere nearly a year ago. On June 21, 2024, the ship grounded just north of Picton with 47 people on board. No-one was injured and the ship was refloated just under 24 hours later. A preliminary Transport Investigation Commission report found the event started with an autopilot mistake. Maritime NZ chief executive Kirstie Hewlett said the two charges filed under the Health and Safety at Work Act related to failures by KiwiRail to keep crew and passengers safe while on board. "This was a complex incident and important investigation given it focused on KiwiRail bringing in new systems to older vessels and broader safety management." Hewlett said Maritime NZ looked at systems, policies, procedures and culture within KiwiRail with regard to the grounding. Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said due to the charges being before the courts they could not comment on them. Roy said since the grounding the Cook Strait ferry service had made improvements to its processes and systems to avoid a repeat of this issue. "We immediately undertook an internal investigation which resulted in nine recommendations - seven of those recommendations have been completed. "This includes a full review of training processes especially for critical equipment, and reviews of our contractor management and risk management procedures." He said since the breakdown Aratere had made more than 1100 crossings of Cook Strait, carrying over 133,000 passengers and 64,000 private and commercial vehicles.
