The Stena Alegra, the replacement Interislander ferry for the crippled Aratere, returns to port after breaking down. Photo / SNPA/Ross Setford
The replacement ferry for KiwiRail's trouble-plagued Interislander service has resumed sailing this morning after a week out of action.
The Stena Alegra suffered a nasty gash in its hull during "extreme weather conditions" at the Wellington ferry terminal on Tuesday last week.
The ship had been due to resume sailing
at 5pm yesterday, but repairs took longer than anticipated and the ship's first sailing was delayed until 3.30am today.
Passenger sailings of the ferry would be back to normal today, a KiwiRail spokeswoman said.
The Stena Alegra has run into trouble twice since it began sailing in January as a temporary replacement for the Aratere, which lost its propeller during a Cook Strait crossing in November.
