The Cook Strait crossings, run by Bluebridge and Interislander, have been thrown into disarray since late January with many of the ferries being struck down with engine issues or other problems.
Bluebridge had issues with two of its ships – the Connemara and the Strait Feronia.
The Feronia was sent to Sydney in February for its scheduled dry dock and is due back at the end of March, meaning sailings until then are even more restricted.
The resulting cancellations mean thousands of passengers have been left stranded, with some forking out hundreds of dollars for flights and others having to seek medium-term accommodation until another sailing became available over the busy summer schedule.
The Connemara then encountered trouble on the way to Picton last month, when an engine issue forced sailings to be cancelled leaving even more people stranded, as there was no capacity on the other sailings.
StraitNZ Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries spokesperson Will Dady confirmed the Straitsman has been sold to Condor Ferries, following the acquisition of the Connemara.
Dady says the purchase of the Connemara, represents a significant investment in Cook Strait infrastructure.
”The acquisition of the Connemara sees us increase our capacity on Cook Strait by 30 per cent and is a direct response to demand from our customers.”
The Connemara will sail alongside the Strait Feronia on a full seven-day-a-week sailing schedule between Wellington and Picton.
