Speed limits cut ferry damage

Fast-ferry damage to the Marlborough Sounds has dropped as a result of speed restrictions, say submissions to a discussion paper.

The Marlborough District Council introduced a bylaw last December restricting fast ferries to 18 knots in Tory Channel and Queen Charlotte Sound.

Submissions noted that water clarity had improved, the wake effect was more like that of conventional ferries, there was less erosion, some marine organisms were re-establishing themselves and safety worries had diminished.