Crew and passengers aboard the Aratere share mixed emotions about the ships final voyage after 26 years.
Pilloried as “El Lemon” during its accident-prone 26 years of crossing Cook Strait, the now-retired Interislander ferry Aratere may present KiwiRail with one final challenge: official documents suggest no one will want to buy it.
The vessel made its final Cook Strait voyage on Monday.
It was withdrawn early toallow for the demolition of the Picton Wharf, which will make way for infrastructure work in preparation for the two new, larger, rail-enabled ferries due to arrive in 2029.
The withdrawal of the Aratere leaves only the Kaitaki and Kaiārahi, which returns from drydock in Singapore later this month with a fresh lick of paint, to cover all Interislander’s needs until the new ferries arrive.
Earlier this month, when announcing the date of the ship’s final sailing, KiwiRail said it was “still considering options for the sale of Aratere after retirement, and the vessel will be laid up at its Wellington berth while we work with a shipbroker”.
However, an April briefing to Rail Minister Winston Peters about the retirement of the Aratere advises that selling the ship might not be possible.
“Due to the vessel’s unique design, KiwiRail has been advised there would be negligible international interest in procuring her as a secondhand ship, because of the modifications required to make her commercially viable,” the briefing document, made public this week, said.
“Advice received is that the cost of modifications would be higher than the value of the ship.”
It also refers to a 2024 valuation of the Aratere by international ship broker BRS, but the valuation is redacted, citing commercial sensitivity.
Interislander marine technical manager Des Tiller, when asked what sale options were being considered for the Aratere, would not say.
“The future options for Aratere are subject to commercial negotiations with interested buyers, and we cannot provide any details at this stage,” he said.
The Interislander ferry Aratere in 6m swells while heading across Cook Strait. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Several previous Interislander ferries have been sold for scrap after being retired.
The Arahanga was withdrawn from service in 2001 and sold to the Alang scrapyard in India.
In 2015, the Arahura was sold to Alang and scrapped.
In 1983, the Aramoana and Aranui were sold to the Najd Trading & Construction Company, a marine agency in Saudi Arabia.
The Aratika, which was replaced by the Aratere, was sold in 1999 to MBRS Lines in the Philippines and served as the Virgin Maryuntil 2008, before being broken down.
Not all Interislander ferries have had the same fate. The previous Arahura, which operated between 1905 and 1950, was sold locally and partially broken down. It was then taken into Cook Strait and used as target practice for Air Force bombers, which sank it about 25 kilometres southeast of Baring Head.
Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
