A 78-truck capacity roll-on, roll-off vessel has been chartered to replace the Awatere on Cook Strait crossings from early next year.
Interislander has chartered Stena Alegra – freight/passenger ferry owned by Stena Finance BV and managed by Northern Marine Management – to assist with capacity and service customers over the peak summer period while the Aratere is out of service.
The ship was built in 1998 at the Sevilla Shipyard in Spain, and is expected to arrive in New Zealand from Europe by the end of December with the aim of having it in service by early January.
The ship has a passenger capacity of more than 350 and a cargo capacity of approximately 78 trucks or 325 cars. The passenger capacity of Aratere is 600 and its cargo capacity is 32 rail wagons and 28 trucks. Passenger accommodation includes a reception, restaurant, shop, bar, cinema and two lounges.
“Chartering the Stena Alegra will ensure that we can better service our freight customers and passengers over the peak summer period and will assist greatly in alleviating our current capacity constraints for freight and passenger vehicles, following the loss of one of Aratere’s propellers on November 5,” says Interislander general manager Thomas Davis.
“With our existing timetable we are losing around 45% of our freight and passenger vehicle capacity. The Stena Alegra will recoup about 35%, leaving a net capacity loss of around 10%, assisting us to minimise disruption and restore certainty around future bookings until the Aratere is back in service.
“We are still working through all the options for the Aratere’s repair and where it will be dry-docked. Details of the new timetable with the Stena Alegra will be made public as soon as they have been confirmed,” Davis says.
Meanwhile, Rail Freight has secured container capacity that will enable freight to be shipped to Christchurch. Coastal services will depart three times a week offering 4/5 day delivery and will be transhipped through KiwiRail’s Southdown facility in Auckland. To compensate for reduced rail-deck capacity, KiwiRail have implemented a trailer operation to carry intermodal freight.
