The Cook Strait ferry Aratere was today awaiting clearance to sail again this afternoon, after repairs were made to a hole punched in its stern last night.
The 150m-long ferry smashed into a vehicle ramp as it backed into its Wellington berth in calm weather after a sailing from Picton.
It was
the Aratere's second collision in two weeks. The ship ploughed over the top of a fishing boat in Wellington Harbour on July 5.
"We're very concerned that albeit two very separate incidents like this have occurred when the vessel is laden with passengers and cargo," Russell Kilvington of the Maritime Safety Authority (MSA) said today.
The hole in the ferry was well above the water line, near the stern door. No one was injured, but passengers did not start disembarking until after 10pm, an hour after they were due in Wellington.
The MSA launched a formal investigation and ordered the ship to stay put until repairs were approved by ship classification experts today.
Mr Kilvington said weather conditions last night appeared to be "ideal", whereas the wind was "blowing a gale" during the last incident.
"Hitting ramps and punching holes into the side of a ship is not something that should be an everyday occurrence," he told National Radio.
Interisland Line group general manager Thomas Davis said the Aratere was expected to be back in service for today's 2pm sailing from Wellington.
"The repair has been completed," he said. "I wouldn't describe it as bad driving. The damage was very minor."
Interisland Line ships backed into berths over 2000 times a year, Mr Davis said.
A full internal investigation was being carried out.
The Aratere is due to go into dry dock in Auckland in about 10 days.
"There is the additional comfort that they can have another further look at the repair when she's out of the water then," Mr Kilvington said.
- NZPA