Interislander looks at replacing ageing Arahura
Cook Strait ferry operator Interislander has sent staff overseas to look at potential ships to replace the 31-year-old Arahura.
Interislander general manager Thomas Davis confirmed that the company had started work on replacing Arahura.
‘‘We are investigating options for our business, including investing to retain Arahura beyond July 2015 or replacing [it] with another ship.
Interislander was in discussion with ship owners and inspecting suitable ships, Davis said.
The company would not comment further, but Fairfax Media understands at least one staff member has visited Europe to look at potential replacements.
Arahura is the oldest and smallest of Interislander’s three ferries and needs significant work to remain within international maritime standards. In June, it made its 50,000th crossing of Cook Strait.
The ferry has been out of service since last week, in dry dock in Auckland for twoyearly maintenance work. It would return to Wellington to resume scheduled sailings late this month, Davis said.
Interislander is considering replacing its 31-year-old Arahura ferry.
Having only two ships presented challenges in how Interislander moved freight and people, he said, but the company was confident it could meet customer demand with Kaitaki and Aratere, which had started three return sailings a day again.
KiwiRail, the parent company of Inter- islander, announced a wide-ranging review of its business on Friday after a year from hell that cost taxpayers $248 million.
Chief executive Peter Reidy announced the review when presenting the company’s financial results for the year to June 30. The $248m loss, well up on the previous year’s $174m loss, highlighted the need for a more cost-effective and efficient business model, he said.
What started out as a promising year for KiwiRail went sour in November when the Aratere lost its starboard propeller crossing Cook Strait. That left Interislander a ferry short for eight weeks until a replacement, the Stena Alegra, was secured. The total cost of repairs, lost revenue and charter of the Stena Alegra was about $27m.
Then asbestos was discovered in 40 new DL freight locomotives, which had to be repaired, reducing KiwiRail’s fleet by 20 per cent.
A slowdown in export logging and dairy volumes between April and June saw prices for those goods fall on international markets, further impacting the company’s bottom line. But while the company was cautious about its fortunes next year, Reidy said things were looking brighter in the short term.
Chairman John Spencer said KiwiRail was working closely with the Treasury, the Ministry of Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency to review forward plans in light of the need to create a sustainable rail business.