KIWIRAIL has sold its redundant rail/ro-pax Aratere for demolition in India.
The 26-yo Cook Strait ferry was withdrawn from service on 18 August and laid up in Wellington pending a decision on its future. The company had decided to take the increasingly troublesome out of service to enable berth redevelopment work, needed for the replacement rail/ro-paxes, to begin this year.
The move, which also avoided an expensive Singapore drydocking, has seen cross-Strait rail service cease, with freight moved from rail to trailers and vice versa at Wellington and Picton.
KiwiRail EGM Duncan Roy announced this morning the company had entered into an agreement to sell the “aged and out of service Interislander ferry Aratere to a buyer which will deliver it to a specialist recycling shipyard in India”.
Mr Roy said Aratere is not suitable for most ferry operators due to its age and the fact it would require significant modification or specialist port infrastructure.
“Therefore, we have pursued a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible recycling option,” he said.
“KiwiRail has conducted due diligence and physical inspections of the shipyard.
“We have been liaising closely with New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority throughout the process.
“Once the buyer takes ownership of the ship it will be responsible for crewing its journey to the recycling yard subject to review by the EPA, which is pending.
“To maximise resource use, KiwiRail has repurposed appliances, furniture, and other items from Aratere across its fleet and operations, with any remaining quality items donated,” Mr Roy said.
“The responsible recycling of Aratere is part of our transition to the next chapter of modern, efficient, larger rail-enabled ferries.”
Meanwhile, KiwiRail competitor StraitNZ’s recently sold ro-pax Strait Feronia, now the Egyptian-owned, Panama-flagged Pan Lily departed Wellington 6 October for Sigapore docking and eventual Red Sea service.