The Interislander Cook Strait ferry Aratere arriving back in Wellington after it ran aground. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Interislander Cook Strait ferry Aratere arriving back in Wellington after it ran aground. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The Government has allocated $600,000 to explore emergency towing options for Cook Strait.
Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry, Bluebridge’s Connemara and MV Shiling have recently experienced power losses, highlighting the need for such measures.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown says thesafety and resilience of Cook Strait is a key priority for the Government.
The Government has been warned Wellington’s port is not set up as a “24/7 marine emergency first responder” and that the country urgently needs to find a more sustainable way to rescue ships when they break down.
There is currently no emergency towing vesselon standby in New Zealand to help large ships in strife - a situation that has been highlighted by several recently losing power in our waters, including the Cook Strait ferries.
CentrePort chief executive Anthony Delaney and Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) chief executive Nigel Corry have penned a letter to Ministers, which the Herald has seen. The council is the port’s majority shareholder.
“CentrePort has responded to the situations presented and has assisted to the best of the abilities of both our assets and more importantly of our people,” the letter said.
“However, CentrePort and GWRC are firmly of the view that we need a more sustainable way forward for marine emergency response, as the current model only supports the occasional occurrence, which is not currently the case.
“CentrePort is a full-service port operation facilitating cargo flows, it is not set up as a 24/7 marine emergency first responder. We have responded to the incidents to date, but we are responding to events and investing in assets beyond our remit (as a port operator) and we are doing so with people’s safety at the forefront.”
MV Shiling berthed at Wellington's CentrePort after it lost power. Photo / Mark Mitchell
However, responding to ships in strife risked potential disruption to CentrePort’s business and customers, the Cook Strait and the regional economy, the letter said.
CentrePort staff were being put in a position where they may need to operate tug boats beyond what they are designed and intended for.
Port operations were disrupted when tugs were sent to incidents and delayed while staff who responded rested and recovered, they said.
The port could potentially have to close if the tugs were damaged or out of service for an extended period.
“With the number of increasing incidents in the past few years, driven by various factors including the condition of vessels, asset management and human factors, we believe the need for a coordinated, nationally lead, plan for emergency marine response capability is now critical”, the letter said.
Delaney and Corry said they appreciated this but needed assurance there would be a solution rather than just another business case process.
They requested an urgent meeting with Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Finance Minister Nicola Willis about the problem.
Brown told the Herald the series of recent incidents involving maritime vessels between Picton and Wellington was concerning.
“The safety and resilience of the Cook Strait is a key priority for the Government. That is why in Budget 2024 the Government allocated $600,000 towards undertaking a business case to explore options and costs for emergency ocean response capability for the Cook Strait.”
Brown confirmed this work was under way and officials were keeping him up to date on progress.
He planned to accept CentrePort and GWRC’s invitation to meet about the issue, Brown said.
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
