The newly-refurbished Interislander ferry Aratere has been towed back to Wellington's ferry terminal after a propeller malfunction.
The KiwiRail-owned Cook Strait ferry was waiting for the ferry Arahura to clear the berth after returning to port from a freight run from Picton when it ran into trouble at about 11.30am
today.
Interislander general manager Thomas Davis said the Aratere had a problem with its port shaft and needed assistance from the Centreport tug boats due to the weather conditions.
The problem was expected to be repaired soon and the ship was expected to sail again at 4.30pm.
The Aratere returned to Wellington last month after a five-month, $52 million refurbishment in Singapore that added a new bow and 30 metres to its mid-section, boosting its capacity.
