Aratere sailings on hold

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says the Aratere will not sail until recent issues are resolved and it is safe for passengers and crew. This follows recent mechanical system failures, which have caused disruption to the service.

Over the past 24 hours, Maritime Safety Inspectors have been on the vessel monitoring the situation. General Manager, Maritime Services Sharyn Forsyth says MNZ is working closely with KiwiRail to identify and resolve issues.

MNZ has this afternoon imposed conditions on the Aratere. This means that the vessel will not be in operation until the Director of MNZ and Class Society (surveyors) are satisfied that the ongoing problems have been resolved and that the vessel is safe to operate.

Ms Forsyth says “MNZ Maritime Safety Inspectors were on board the vessel this morning during a sea trial in Wellington Harbour, when the Aratere experienced another failure thought to be unrelated to previous events”.

Before any further sea trials can be carried out, KiwiRail will present a plan to MNZ outlining how they will ensure the safety of the vessel during testing.

Maritime New Zealand may also require further conditions to be met before allowing full commercial operations to resume, such as freight only sailings or requiring a route through the northern passage.

“Safety of the crew and passengers is paramount. We will be monitoring the situation closely and can assure the public that the vessel will not operate commercially until we are sure it is safe to do so.”