Clock ticking to fix ferry issue — union
The Maritime Union is urging the Government to find a solution for the ageing Cook Strait ferries, saying there is “no easy way out” but New Zealand does not have “the luxury of time”.
Maritime Union national secretary Craig Harrison said the ferries were right at the end of their life, especially for ships that sail in a “tough bit of water” like Cook Strait.
“I don’t think we’re going to get the luxury of time [to replace them],” he told Newstalk ZB yesterday.
“The planning was to have them gone by mid-next year and get the two replacement vehicles designed to sail in heavier conditions. That’s all been kicked on until the Government finds a solution, but time is not on our side.”
In December last year, the Government declined KiwiRail’s request for an extra $1.47 billion for portside infrastructure needed for Cook Strait’s new ferries.
The state-owned enterprise was replacing its increasingly unreliable and ageing Interislander fleet of three ferries with two new rail-enabled ferries under the Inter-island Resilience Connection project (iReX).
A $551m contract was signed with a South Korean shipyard in 2021 to build the new ferries. KiwiRail has confirmed that will be terminated.
Harrison said the Government needs to find an alternate solution before time runs out.
“It’s like running an old car; you can have a vintage one but it takes time and money to keep it on the road. We should be looking for a fix that lasts for generations.”
Harrison’s comments come after KiwiRail was charged by Maritime NZ for an incident last January where one of the ferries lost power in Cook Strait and drifted toward the rocky coast.
More than 800 people were aboard the ship when it lost power
amid a roaring southerly.
The mayday call sparked an immediate response from emergency services and the public as the ferry came dangerously close to rocks.
Six other vessels swiftly made their way to the Kaitaki, including the Aratere, the police patrol vessel the Lady Elizabeth IV, two tugs, a pilot boat and a fishing boat. Five rescue helicopters were also called and a cordon was erected at Owhiro Bay.
Maritime New Zealand confirmed yesterday it had filed a single charge against KiwiRail under the Health and Safety at Work Act, after an investigation into procedures around safety and maintenance.
Harrison said KiwiRail was in an impossible position because of decades of underfunding.
“We have a ridiculous situation where the Government regulator is having to prosecute a state-owned enterprise for ferry problems, but the Government has just cancelled new ferries that would solve the problem.
“The real issue here is historic underinvestment in ferries and coastal shipping over several decades, which has led to a crisis point in the safety and reliability of our supply chain.”