The Interislander Arahura ferry’s replacement will go into service in September bearing the new name of Kaiarahi.
Kaiarahi, formerly known as the Stena Alegra when last in New Zealand, is currently in Singapore undergoing a refit and refurbishment programme to meet Interislander requirements.
The owner of the vessel, Stena RoRo will manage and pay for the upgrades. Kaiarahi is a third bigger than Arahura. It will be able to carry close to the same amount of freight in two return sailings as the Arahura can in three.
“The new vessel will increase our overall freight and passenger capacity on a critical link for the country,” says KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy.
“The capacity of Kaiarahi gives us big efficiency gains and future-proofs our fleet for increased customer demand.”
KiwiRail will charter Kaiarahi rather than purchase the vessel, as is currently the case with Kaitaki.
The new Interisland ferry is expected to be in service from early September.
