When the Kaiārahi faced gearbox issues in late 2021 and the now-retired Aratere ferry needed scheduled maintenance work, KiwiRail described the reduction to one ferry as “unprecedented”.
The gearbox required major repairs spanning months, leading to KiwiRail leasing an additional freight ferry to provide “vital Cook Strait freight capacity for the road and rail networks”.
Sawhney said this situation this week was “unfortunate”, but unlike in 2021, it was expected to be rectified in a matter of days.
He has warned of lower freight capacity while the issue is resolved.
“Operating with one vessel is challenging, particularly during a busy period, but it is something Interislander has managed through before,” he said.
“The reduction to a single vessel does constrain freight capacity in the short term, and we acknowledge this is disruptive for our customers.”
To help manage demand, Sawhney said, KiwiRail had added eight additional sailings of the Kaitaki ferry over the weekend and Monday, with freight crossings prioritised to “help maintain supply chain continuity across Cook Strait”.
Interislander has been running a reduced fleet of two ferries since it retired the Aratere in August.
The ferry was retired early to allow for redevelopment work at Picton port in preparation for the two new ferries the Government is expected to deliver in 2029.
“Interislander has delivered close to 100% reliability in the past 12 months and operates under a rigorous maintenance and inspection regime,” Sawhney said.
Industry calls for Govt support before new ferries’ arrival
Transporting New Zealand head of policy and advocacy Billy Clemens said the situation was a concern and highlighted the lack of resilience of the ferry fleet on the vital Cook Strait connection.
“We are really concerned that this incident just shows how vulnerable the Cook Strait connection is, particularly for that kind of high-priority freight which really can’t be delayed,” Clemens said.
KiwiRail and the Government needed to provide answers on what contingency plans were in place, he said, as the sector awaits the planned new ferries set for arrival in 2029.
Clemens said the Government could step in and provide support to allow KiwiRail to provide contingency across the strait.
Transporting New Zealand represents freight operators and says the Government should consider stepping in to bolster Cook Strait resilience. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“These unplanned maintenance issues are likely to keep occurring because these are older vessels, and I’ve been contacted by several members today [saying] that this really shows just how precarious the situation is.”
While this situation might be able to be managed with additional sailings, he said, it was “certainly not ideal, and it will be resulting in some disruptions”.
He warned of the risks if similar issues emerged during the upcoming maintenance period, saying if one ship broke down while another was being serviced, “you’d be in a situation where Interislander just wouldn’t have any capacity across the strait”.
“That would really impact our members who have livestock transport operations, also processors and meat suppliers. The viability of entire businesses is going to be threatened if there’s sustained issues with capacity,” he said.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.