Passengers on an Interislander ferry were forced to spend the night on board after a fault with the steering meant it stayed anchored in the harbour overnight.
An Interislander spokesperson told the Herald the Kaitaki was anchored in the harbour after the steering issue arose just outside Wellington heads lastnight.
It retained full steering control via backup systems.
The ship had set sail from Wellington to Picton at 8.30pm last night, but only made it a short distance before the issue with the steering occurred.
The ship master decided not to berth as no tugs were available until 7am this morning.
The spokesperson said there were only a small number of passengers aboard the ferry, most of whom were commercial vehicle drivers. Everyone was provided a cabin for the night.
The Kaitaki this morning in Wellington. Photo / Nick James
“Our engineers are working to fix the issue and there will be delays to some sailings today as a result. We are holding this morning’s Aratere sailing so it can take some of the passengers. We apologise to the passengers for this disruption and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as we can.”
Harbourmaster Grant Naalder told the Herald the problem was with the steering control, not the steering itself so the situation was not an emergency. Deciding not to berth back in the harbour the same evening was a precaution.
Naalder said the tugs work around scheduled shipping routes, and as the situation was not an emergency, it was better to wait until one became available in the morning.
He said the ship had berthed with the precautionary assistance of a tug early on Thursday morning.
Minister of Transport David Parker told the Herald the problem was with the computer’s software.
“Essentially the software that controls open sea sailing didn’t work as it should.”
“The Kaitaki has three levels of steering backup – and the second level kicked in, as it should. At no point was there a loss of control of the vessel. I have been advised the ship could have sailed to Picton, but the decision to return to Wellington, was a safety first, cautious approach.”
It’s the latest in a slew of issues for the Cook Strait ferries.
It began on January 28 at 5.05pm, when the Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry issued a mayday call with 864 people on board. All four engines had failed and the ship was drifting towards Wellington’s rocky coastline during a strong southerly in Cook Strait.
A huge rescue effort was launched with six vessels at the scene, five helicopters and the police and Wellington Hospital on standby ashore.
Luckily, the worst-case scenario did not eventuate and power was restored within two hours of the mayday.
Both the Interislander and Bluebridge ships were plagued with problems earlier in the year with several ferries being taken off their routes for various technical issues leaving passengers stranded on both sides of the Cook Strait.
Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.
