Interislander Aratere ferry’s hull damaged after hitting Wellington linkspan

Aratere’s 4.30pm sailing from Wellington has been cancelled. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Interislander’s Aratere ferry will be out of action on Friday after it hit a linkspan coming into a berth in Wellington, damaging its hull.

It’s the latest in a string of incidents involving the Interislander fleet, including Aratere suffering a reported steering failure on June 21 and running aground in Picton shortly after. It only returned to full service late last month.

Harbourmaster Grant Nalder told the Herald the ferry had “made contact” with a linkspan, which is the dock ramp that allows vehicles to access the ferry.

The hull was damaged, he confirmed, but well above the water line and there were no injuries or oil leaks.

KiwiRail said in a statement the incident happened at 3.30pm while Aratere was docking in strong winds.

“As a result, there has been some damage to the linkspan, and to the hull of the vessel well above the waterline.

“No one was injured and there is no danger to the ship, passengers or the environment as a result of this incident.”

The ferry had 106 passengers and 40 crew on board. Passengers and vehicles were able to exit the ship. Aratere’s 4.30pm sailing from Wellington was cancelled.

The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground near Picton just after 10pm on June 21, 2024.

Interislander Executive General Manager Duncan Roy told the Herald repair work to the Aratere and the linkspan will continue overnight.

“We anticipate Aratere returning to service over the weekend. Affected passengers are being transferred to alternative sailings,” he said.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown told Newstalk ZB Drive host Heather du Plessis-Allan he had been on the phone with KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy tonight.

Brown said there were high wind conditions in Wellington but there were several other things KiwiRail would be looking into including “whether or not they were entering a particular course correctly”.

“We’ve been making our point very clearly around the operations of that organisation. They need to be lifting the game and that’s why we’re refreshing the board and setting very clear expectations.”

Asked whether he was pulling his hair out over KiwiRail, Brown said: “Well, yes.”

As recently as Tuesday, Aratere’s 5.30am sailing departing Wellington and its 11am return service were cancelled due to a fault discovered during pre-departure checks.

Roy told the Herald the fault was due to a technical problem involving a pump.

It was fixed in time for sailings to resume by 4.30pm that day, Roy said.

He confirmed they were also waiting on a part for Aratere’s gearbox for a pre-emptive replacement.

“However, this work is not currently scheduled,” Roy said.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown says KiwiRail needs to lift its game. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Aratere experienced a “power blackout” in 2023 caused by disintegrating tape used to hold wiring together.

Also last year, Kaitaki lost power in the middle of Cook Strait with 864 people on board and issued a mayday call as it drifted towards Wellington’s rocky South Coast. The ship narrowly avoided disaster after power was partially restored.

KiwiRail has been under intense scrutiny in recent months after its plan to replace its ageing ferry fleet with two mega ferries was left dead in the water. The Government refused to fund a cost blowout of $1.47 billion for the portside infrastructure needed to support the larger ships.

Ministry of Transport officials were already considering Interislander’s future, including whether it could be separated into a new state-owned enterprise or sold, when the Aratere ran aground in June.

The Government is yet to announce the new plan to replace the fleet.

There has been an exodus of directors from KiwiRail’s board after Finance Minister Nicola Willis warned a “board refresh” was coming.

Rob Jager, an existing director, has accepted the position of acting chairman. His career includes more than 43 years with Shell in various executive roles, including chairman and vice-president of the Shell companies in New Zealand.

“I look forward to working with KiwiRail’s shareholding ministers, board, management, staff and stakeholders and supporting the company in implementing its plan to increase efficiency and deliver exemplary safe and reliable customer service,” Jager said.

This was after Willis announced the early retirement of outgoing chairman David McLean.

McLean’s exit was followed by the departure of KiwiRail directors Rachel Pinn, a transport consultant, Ed Sims, former chief executive of Canadian airline WestJet, and Maryan Street, a former Labour MP and minister.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.