Stricken Fullers ferry replaced in time for summer

Fullers Bay of Islands have replaced the ferry that was written off after it was stranded on rocks at Cape Brett off Paihia.

The Tiger III has been replaced with a new Tiger V, a state of the art vessel that was registered on November 29 in Bluff.

The 22-metre catamaran Tiger III hit the rocks when an engine failed on Saturday as it was about to negotiate the Hole in the Rock off the Northland coast.

It hit the rocks below Cape Brett, badly damaging the port hull.

The crew leapt off and secured it to the rocks as the 59 passengers clambered ashore and were rescued by helicopter.

Chief executive Kit Nixon said the new ferry was a 22 metre Sabre catamaran built this year in Australia. The vessel was certificated to carry 160 passengers but after minor modifications it could carry 200.

"Our ability to acquire and have Tiger V up and running so quickly has allowed us to return back to full operating capacity for the current summer holiday season and meet in full our obligations to our customers" said Mr. Nixon.

Mr Nixon earlier said that the Tiger III was written off because repairs to the $2 million vessel were now considered to be more than the vessel was worth.

Some navigation equipment had been removed but Mr Nixon said it was not sure how much other material could be salvaged.

- HERALD STAFF