A STEERING failure that saw the Cook Strait ro-pax Kaiarahi abandon its Wellington-Picton voyage on Friday night [12 December] strengthens the case for an emergency tug, the Maritime Union of New Zealand asserts.
Kaiarahi turned back to Wellington after getting as far as the Tory Channel leading to Picton after the crew detected “odd behaviour” when conducting routine checks on the steering system prior to entering the channel.
The Interisland Line ferry, which at left Wellington at 1530, then went back out into Cook Strait to undertake trials before returning to port as a precautionary measure, KiwiRail said, berthing at 2205. Passengers complained of poor communication onboard and ashore, with many rebooked on later, unsuitable sailings.
In incident came after the NZ Government recently announced it would not proceed with acquiring an emergency towing vessel due to poor cost/benefit and terminated early the existing ETV contract (DCN 26 November).
MUNZ national secretary Carl Findlay said the incident demonstrated exactly why the union is demanding the retention of the emergency response vessel MMA Vision.
“We are currently relying on two aging ferries to bridge the gap until 2029. The Kaiarahi turning back due to technical failure is the latest warning sign, yet transport minister Chris Bishop is moving to axe the MMA Vision contract months ahead of schedule,” Mr Findlay said.
“It is disturbing the Government is planning to remove our maritime safety net at the precise moment our critical infrastructure is showing its vulnerability. Minister Bishop’s decision to terminate the MMA Vision contract early is gambling with people’s lives and our maritime environment.”
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said technical staff based in Wellington would be investigating the problem.
“The issue became apparent as part of standard procedures prior to entering Tory Channel and the return to Wellington was decided on as a safety precaution rather than sailing through the Sounds,” he said.
“The appropriate authorities have been notified, and we will work with our passengers and freight customers to reschedule them.”