Interislander ferry Kaiarahi to return to service after technical issues

An Interislander ferry bound for Picton turned back to Wellington yesterday after apparent technical troubles. Image / marinetraffic.com

An Interislander ferry forced to abandon a Cook Strait crossing due to technical issues should return to service today.

The Kaiārahi was forced to turn back to Wellington during its 3.30pm sailing to Picton because of “apparent technical troubles”, Wellington Harbour master Grant Nalder said.

A passenger told NZME crew on the vessel said it was because of a steering issue that didn’t impact the control of the vessel.

Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy this morning said the “technical issue” had now been “resolved”.

His team was working with Maritime NZ to get the vessel back in service today.

“We are planning to schedule additional sailings and we will reach out to affected passengers to accommodate them as soon as possible,” he said.

KiwiRail was contacting its freight customers to reschedule deliveries also, he said.

“Safety will always be our first priority. We deeply regret the impact of the disruption on our customers at this busy time of year and thank them for their patience.”

Wellington Harbour master Grant Nalder earlier said the Kaiārahi left Wellington at 3.30pm but began experiencing issues before it entered Tory Channel.

He said the decision was made to return back to Wellington.

He confirmed there had been no risk to anyone on board and things were going smoothly as the boat returned to dock

Roy yesterday said: “The issue became apparent as part of standard procedures prior to entering Tory Channel, and the return to Wellington was decided on as a safety precaution rather than sailing through the Sounds”.

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