Grounded interisland ferry Aratere refloated - but could be grounded for some time

Saturday, 22 June 2024

Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground shortly after leaving Picton on Friday night.

The grounded Interislander ferry Aretere has been successfully refloated but it could be months before it is back in service after Maritime NZ said it would issue a detention order as soon as it was back in port.

The boat was successfully refloated at high tide last night, 24 hours after running aground due to an apparent steering failure.

Director Kirstie Hewlett said the detention order would enable Maritime NZ to work closely with Aratere's Classification Society and KiwiRail to understand what had occurred, and what action needed to happen, before the vessel was able to move safely again and could be released.

'Our investigators will also tomorrow start an investigation into the grounding. They will carry out interviews, examine the scene and ferry, review documents and gather evidence. We will then decide what, if any, further action to take. The investigation is expected to take several months to complete.'

In a statement, Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said the ferry had been refloated by KiwiRail supported by a team of global experts and in collaboration with Maritime NZ (MNZ), Port Marlborough New Zealand (PMNZ), and Marlborough District Council Harbour Master.

“The Aratere will now move to a safe anchorage in Picton Harbour overnight to re-ballast and stabilise the vessel before returning to Picton Wharf.“

The refloating involved two PMNZ tugs pulling from the stern, with the ship’s own engines used to help propel it into deeper water..

Roy said the successful refloat was the result of meticulous, co-ordination and planning from a full team of experts.

“This afternoon, we drained ballast and, with detailed calculations from Australian stabilisation experts and advice from Maritime New Zealand, we transferred other weight within the ship to raise the bow. PMNZ’s tugs were then able to rock the vessel away from the shore.

“We know this incident is extremely disruptive for our customers and appreciate their patience as we work with them to organise alternative arrangements.'

The ferry will be anchored in Picton Harbour overnight, so she can re-ballast while safely at anchor, and crews can rest.

“We need to rebalance the weight of the vessel before it can move into the wharf and have its hull fully examined. Maritime New Zealand, TAIC and KiwiRail are all undertaking investigations.”

Aratere would not operate until it had been released by Maritime New Zealand.

There was no timeframe for that.

The Aratere ran aground at 9.45pm on Friday within sight of Picton with eight passengers and 39 crew on board. The freight-only ferry, which had been travelling at 3 knots at the time, was stable and stuck in sand, KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy said.

A refloat attempt planned for Saturday morning was abandoned so divers could take a proper look at the hull, and a new effort was made just after 9pm at high tide.

Roy said they were working with urgency “to understand what has happened here.

“This is an incredibly unfortunate incident, especially coming after an intensive investment in an enhanced maintenance regime, supported by global asset management peer reviews during 2023 and 2024. Since then, we’ve had a solid run with reliability and on time performance and have generally been pleased with how our ships are performing.”

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said everyone was grateful that there had been no loss of life.

The Aratere was stable and had run aground on sand, not rocks.

Passengers and crew who had remained on the ship on Friday night were taken to shore on Saturday. There was no live stock on board.

Passengers and crew were taken off the Aratere on Saturday.

The ferry was water tight, but Maritime NZ was working closely with KiwiRail on an oil response, Brown said. That was an environmental concern that needed to be carefully managed.

He said he understood crew lost the ability to steer the ship before it grounded. “My understanding is that there’s a new piece of equipment that was recently installed” Brown said.

The ferry had a steering upgrade a month ago, according to an email sent to customers.

Reidy said earlier on Saturday that KiwiRail would look to the root cause of the grounding, but it had invested significant money and time recently in upgrading the steering.

“We had some issues with the electrical system on the steering and it's just been fully upgraded,” Reidy said

“We are lucky it's just in the shallow bit of water here.”

Guardians of the Sounds chairman Peter Beech said the ferry, not far from Mabel Island, was “well up the beach”.

Peter Beech of Guardians of the Sounds, close to the Aratere which run aground near Titoki Bay in Picton harbour.

“It’s lucky it didn’t happen quarter of a mile the other way, or it would have blocked the whole harbour, and lucky that it happened in the inner Sounds, and not out in Tory Channel,” Beech said.

“She’s well up the beach mate. It’ll take a bit of getting off.'

Several investigations have been launched into the grounding, including one by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC).

“These investigations will determine what went wrong and what can be done to prevent this happening again,“ Brown said.

TAIC chief investigator of accidents Naveen Kozhuppakalam appointed a team of investigators who were due to be on site in Picton on Saturday.

The Interislander fleet had been beset with issues, including a power outage on the Kaitaki last year that saw it adrift as it approached Wellington Harbour. The Government rejected a billion-dollar funding top-up by KiwiRail in order to replace the ferries, last year.

Brown said the Government was still committed to a “resilient Cook Strait ferry”.