Concerns around shipping and passenger safety on the Cook Strait are being raised in a letter sent by Wellington and Marlborough council leaders to transport minister Michael Wood.
It follows a string of recent Interislander ferry breakdowns on the vital crossing. That included a mayday call in January after the Kaitaki vessel suffered engine failure with 864 people on board.
Six vessels made their way to assist the Kaitaki, including two tug boats from Wellington. The ship drifted a nautical mile (1.8km) before its anchors held and power was restored.
Questions are being raised about how successful the tugs would have been in a recovery effort as they are designed for work in the harbour rather than open water.
In the jointly written letter, Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor and Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter say it raises concerns about the lack of support for out of port vessels in Cook Strait. The vital sea corridor borders both council areas.
Taylor says the last of three tugs that were commissioned following the tragic sinking of the Wāhine in 1968 left port in 2014, having been found to be too low-powered for larger ships.
“Similarly, Port Marlborough’s tug is suited to work within Picton Harbour but not Cook Strait,” she says.
A change in focus to the commercial aspects of operating ports following the move from harbour boards to port companies in 1989 also meant safety management outside of port, such as supporting seagoing vessels, was not relevant to CentrePort or Port Marlborough’s tug replacement business cases.
Fast forward to today, together the Interislander and Bluebridge ferries carry around one million passengers across Cook Strait each year. Over 250,000 cruise ship passengers are also visiting each summer with that number increasing. Other shipping is either passing through the Strait (including large bulk carriers between Australia and South America) or passing by adjacent coastlines.
“Despite this level of traffic, and the legendary winds and tidal currents, there is neither the legislative requirement nor any physical resource to provide support for vulnerable or disabled shipping,” Taylor says.
Both Taylor and Ponter say it’s an “inadequate situation”.
“Cook Strait is a vital part of New Zealand’s national infrastructure, being effectively the marine section of State Highway 1.
“Just as the government oversees safety on the state highways, we agree that it should support safe shipping in one of our busiest marine corridors,” Taylor says.
Taylor says a meeting with the transport minister would be a welcome opportunity to discuss the matter.
“This is an opportunity for local and central government, ship and port operators to come together and work towards an enduring and sustainable outcome,” she says.
Transport minster Wood acknowledges how frustrating the situation has been for customers and says it’s a result of the age of the vessels in the fleet.
“When we came into Government we moved quickly to replace the vessels, with work now underway on two new vessels now in Korea.
“Unfortunately not all Governments have been willing to tackle the hard issues, so we have to work with the current fleet until the new vessels begin coming into service from 2025.
“There is a role for both central government and local government, as the ultimate port owner, to play in considering these issues. I welcome the opportunity to work with Greater Wellington and Marlborough District Council through this process.
“I have met with the KiwiRail board to seek assurances that they are taking this situation seriously, and will be seeking further advice through the inquiries underway from MNZ and TAIC to ensure public safety continues to be prioritised,” Wood says.
KiwiRail has signed a NZ$551 million contract with Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard to build two new Interislander ferries which will replace its existing three ageing vessels. The first of the two new Cook Strait ferries is expected to arrive in 2025 and the second in 2026.
