Cook Strait ferry woes another reminder

National road freight association Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is concerned to hear this morning that Bluebridge’s ferry, the MV Connemara, had reported engine trouble in Cook Strait.

Dom Kalasih, interim chief executive of Transporting New Zealand, says he understands the prompt response with tug assistance and the professionalism of the Bluebridge crew meant no one was at risk, which is always a relief.

"I'm sure the team at Bluebridge will be even more concerned than us to determine what has gone wrong and I’ll stick to my rule of refraining from speculation as to what went wrong."

"But my stance, and that of Transporting New Zealand, is that no matter who is operating the ferry services across the strait, we all need a reliable, safe platform that is cost effective and fit for purpose."

"It’s also a reminder of the perils of having less ships rather than more. The iReX scheme would have had two large ferries. I think the magic number is closer to three."