Water identified as 'chemical spill' at Picton ferry terminal

Thursday, 23 March 2023

Kaitiaki, Straitsman and Kaiarahi ships are parked at the Interislander Picton wharf after a chemical spill.

A supposed chemical spill that stalled operations at Picton’s port for more than five hours was later identified as water.

Fire and Emergency NZ were called to reports of a chemical spill around 2.15am on Thursday and all roads were closed while the incident was investigated. Interislander resumed normal operations at 7.30am.

Interislander executive general manager Walter Rushbrook, however, confirmed later in the day that the “substance” turned out to be water.

But until the “exact nature of the substance was confirmed it had to be treated as potentially hazardous”, Rushbrook said.

* Mattresses, blankets shifted into ferry terminal as Cyclone Gabrielle cancels crossings

Vehicles board the Straitsman after the terminal reopens.

* Interislander ferry breaks down near Tory Channel on way to Picton

Their emergency response plan was activated, and after a “thorough check of the container and consultation with the customer, it was determined everything was safe, allowing normal operations to resume”, Rushbrook said.

The Kaiarahi leaving Picton on Thursday morning.

A dangerous goods container was on a trailer being moved across the yard in preparation for loading, when the leak was spotted, he said. The container came to Picton from Christchurch by rail, and was set to travel on a ferry to Wellington.

Rushbrook said earlier on Thursday that the Aratere and Valentine ships were running on schedule but the Kaiarahi was delayed overnight due to the incident.

The Kaiarahi 8.45am sailing out of Wellington was expected to depart early afternoon and customers booked on the ship would be contacted directly, he said.

The Kaiarahi departs as the Kaitaki and Straitsman are berthed. The Aratere is waiting to berth in the background.

“The ferry terminal and rail yard was temporarily closed due to a possible chemical leak from a customer’s dangerous goods container,” Rushbrook said earlier in the day.

“The emergency response plan was activated and the area was cordoned off to ensure no harm until the leak was further investigated.”

Four ferries were spotted in Picton Harbour at the same time about 9am on Thursday, which Rushbrook said was “not common”.

“But (it) can happen when one ship is laid for work in Picton as the Kaitaki is now. The Kaiarahi’s departure was delayed by the incident, and it left at around 9.30am,” he said.

FENZ shift manager Jill Higgison said at 10am crews from the Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade and Nelson command unit had finished their investigation about 8am.

Higgison said absorbent was used on the chemical, but crews weren’t able to confirm what the chemical was.

The Cook Strait passenger ferries have been plagued with breakdowns this summer. This latest incident comes after 5 metre swells forced both Interislander and Bluebridge to cancel their sailings on Wednesday. Bluebridge warned its customers it may not be able to rebook sailings for several weeks.

In January, an Interislander ferry, Kaitaki, drifted more than a nautical mile towards the Wellington coast in winds gusting over 100kph after it lost all engine power. An emergency was declared and life vests were handed out to the 800 passengers onboard, but the ship managed to regain some power and crawl back to shore.

The Kaitaki had a month of freight-only sailings as a safety review was carried out following the emergency in January. A day after it was cleared to take passengers again, a fault was found in one of its gearboxes. It was moved to Picton at the weekend so repairs could continue amid space constraints in Wellington.

Meanwhile, the Kaiarahi (engineering fault) and Bluebridge’s Connemara (engine fault) and MV Straitsman (“urgent operational requirements”) have all had stints on the sidelines this summer.

At one point, in February, the Interislander’s Aratere was the only ferry carrying passenger vehicles between the North and South islands.

Transport Minister Michael Wood has told Kiwirail it needs to ensure there is a clear plan around both safety and reliability of the ageing ferries in its fleet. Wood said there had to be better management of the company’s three passenger ferries until two new ships arrived in 2025.