Ferry cleared to sail after patch-up

12.30pm

The Cook Strait ferry Aratere was today cleared to sail this afternoon, after repairs were made to a hole punched in its stern last night.

The 150m-long ferry smashed into a vehicle ramp as it backed into its Wellington berth in calm weather after a sailing from Picton.

The hole near the stern door was patched up this morning and later cleared by authorities in time for an afternoon sailing to Picton.

It was the Aratere's second collision in two weeks. The ship ploughed over the top of a fishing boat in Wellington Harbour on July 5.

"We're very concerned that albeit two very separate incidents like this have occurred when the vessel is laden with passengers and cargo," Russell Kilvington of the Maritime Safety Authority (MSA) said today.

The hole in the ferry was well above the water line. No one was injured, but passengers did not start disembarking until after 10pm, an hour after they were due in Wellington.

The MSA has launched a formal investigation.

Mr Kilvington said weather conditions last night appeared to be "ideal", whereas the wind was "blowing a gale" during the last incident.

Interisland Line group general manager Thomas Davis said ships backed into berths over 2000 times a year.

He described the damage as "minor", but said a full internal investigation was being carried out.

The Aratere is due to go into dry dock in Auckland in about 10 days.

- NZPA