Fault behind Kaitaki ferry failing identified
A fault in the Cook Strait ferry Kaitaki’s engine cooling system has been identified as the cause behind the ship losing power and being pushed by strong winds towards a rocky coast.
Interislander executive general manager Walter Rushbrook confirmed they had identified the cause of the power loss and it was in the process of being fixed.
Passengers have come forward with details of two more faults on Cook Strait ferry Kaitaki just days before it lost all power and got pushed by strong winds towards a rocky coast. While the ferry eventually limped back to Wellington on Saturday, frustrated travellers have been stranded with the ferry out of serviced for an unknown period at Interislander’s busiest time of the year – the end of the school summer holidays.
Interislander operations manager Peter Mathews confirmed there was also a ‘‘minor electrical issue on Kaitaki’’ on January 22 that was quickly fixed. Two days earlier, there was a ‘‘short delay while crew ensured the stabiliser fin was fully retracted into the hull of the ship’’.
‘‘At no time were the engines affected,’’ he said.
The incidents were not related to the Saturday failing, where the Kaitaki lost all power in Cook Strait, he said. The Kaitaki was stopped by anchors before reaching the coast and engineers eventually got the engines running and it limped into Wellington. Multiple investigations are underway.
Mary Layton and her family were on the 2.15pm sailing from Picton to Wellington on January 20 when it appeared to lose power near dock in Wellington Harbour.
‘‘If they knew there was a problem, they should have fixed it,’’ said ‘‘All of a sudden, it went dead silent ...’’ she said. ‘‘I don’t know if we were floating around in circles or if they were in control.’’ Power was restored after about 30 minutes and the ship docked, she said.
A Wellington man, who asked not to be named, said he was on the 8.45am Kaitaki sailing on January 22 when it appeared to lose power in calm conditions in Wellington Harbour. ’’It was evident the engines stalled or dramatically lost power and we were immobilised and drifting for a period,’’ he said. ‘‘You would like to think that, hopefully, all the correct measures and investigations were sought after the first incident, however [it is] hard to think the two failures were not related.’’