Drunk punches crewman: police probe ferry fight

The incident happened on board a ferry travelling from Stewart Island to Bluff about 5pm on Sunday, police said.

An alcohol-fuelled fight on a Real Journeys ferry, in which a staff member was punched and the vessel's skipper forced to intervene, is being investigated by police.

The incident happened on board a ferry travelling from Stewart Island to Bluff about 5pm on Sunday, police said.

Senior Sergeant James Ure, of Dunedin, said some intoxicated passengers were involved in "a reasonable incident" but exact details of the altercation were not clear. It is understood a crew member confronted one of the drunk passengers after they spilled coffee and was subsequently involved in an argument and punched.

The incident was reported to a Real Journeys office and passed on to Bluff police, Mr Ure said.

Officers had planned to meet the boat to speak to the passengers involved when it docked, but they had already disembarked when police arrived.

"They [police] must have been a wee bit late."

A Real Journeys spokesman said the company would be making no comment about whether an incident had occurred or what it may have involved. Statements to media were made only by the company's corporate communications manager or chief executive, the spokesman said. Neither could be reached for comment yesterday.

A Bluff resident who later spoke to some Australian tourists on board said the passengers were ejected from the main lounge for being too drunk. They were told to stay on the stern dock area and were not served any alcohol, the man said.

One of the passengers later spilled coffee and was confronted by the crew member, he said.

"At that point, things got out of hand. There was pushing and shoving and [the crew member] was punched."

The crew member broke free and informed the skipper, who stopped the boat while he dealt with the situation, the man said.

The tourists were told police would be on hand when the boat docked at Bluff and were not impressed when police were not there, he said.

A Maritime NZ spokesman said it had not received a report about the incident. A skipper was responsible for a boat and its passengers and he or she had the authority to stop it or turn back, he said.