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All four vehicle ferries of a shipping service between Manukau City and Waiheke Island have had their sailings suspended on safety grounds.
Maritime New Zealand confirmed yesterday it had suspended the "safe ship management certificates" late on Wednesday of four vessels owned by Ryan Shipping and operated by Waiheke Shipping, which is based at Half Moon Bay.
These included the Spirit of Waiheke, which the shipping company promotes as a drive-on, drive-off vessel capable of carrying 35 cars and 200 passengers on its one-hour crossings to the island.
Its website lists four return sailings a day between Half Moon Bay and Kennedy Point on Waiheke.
Company general manager Captain Brett Subritzky told the Herald yesterday afternoon he was heading into a long meeting and would not have time to talk until afterwards. He could not be reached for comment last night.
But Maritime NZ director Catherine Taylor said the operating certificates were suspended late on Wednesday under a legal provision allowing her to do so for 14 days in the first instance, if considered necessary in the interests of maritime safety.
She would not give details of her concerns other than saying: "All vessel operators are required to ensure their vessels meet maritime safety standards and the decision to suspend an operator's maritime document is not taken lightly."
It is understood in the industry that the suspension was over maintenance issues rather than any alleged mishap at sea.
Ms Taylor said the Maritime Transport Act allowed her to extend the period of a suspension if an operator failed to meet stipulated standards in the first 14 days.
Rival shipping operator SeaLink Travel said it had enough capacity to absorb all of Waiheke's custom without any disruption to passengers.
General manager Donna Gauci said it had three vessels on the Waiheke run, operating up to 14 return sailings a day, and spent millions of dollars a year maintaining them.
She denied Waiheke Shipping's trouble with Maritime NZ had anything to do with a bitter dispute between the two companies over wharf access rights at Half Moon Bay.
Commuters between Half Moon Bay and Auckland have troubles of their own, following a notice issued by passenger ferry operator Fullers to the Auckland Regional Transport Authority of its intention of withdrawing from that and its Bayswater route in mid-January.
