KiwiRail charged over Aratere ferry grounding
Maritime NZ has filed two health and safety charges against KiwiRail over its grounding of the Interislander ferry Aratere nearly a year ago.
On June 21, 2024, the ship grounded just north of Picton with 47 people on board.
No-one was injured and the ship was refloated just under 24 hours later.
A preliminary Transport Investigation Commission report found the event started with an autopilot mistake.
Maritime NZ chief executive Kirstie Hewlett said the two charges filed under the Health and Safety at Work Act related to failures by KiwiRail to keep crew and passengers safe while on board.
"This was a complex incident and important investigation given it focused on KiwiRail bringing in new systems to older vessels and broader safety management."
Hewlett said Maritime NZ looked at systems, policies, procedures and culture within KiwiRail with regard to the grounding.
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said due to the charges being before the courts they could not comment on them.
Roy said since the grounding the Cook Strait ferry service had made improvements to its processes and systems to avoid a repeat of this issue.
"We immediately undertook an internal investigation which resulted in nine recommendations - seven of those recommendations have been completed.
"This includes a full review of training processes especially for critical equipment, and reviews of our contractor management and risk management procedures."
He said since the breakdown Aratere had made more than 1100 crossings of Cook Strait, carrying over 133,000 passengers and 64,000 private and commercial vehicles.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Still No New Ferries As The Aratere Retires
New Zealand is down a ferry today with the Aratere's final sailing, and there's still no replacement in sight. 'Christopher Luxon has wasted more than half a billion dollars to replace the Cook Strait ferries and doesn't have anything to show for it,' Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. 'The Aratere's last sailing today means the country is reduced to two Interislander ferries, which are ageing and expensive to maintain. 'New Zealand was supposed to have replacement ferries coming next year, but as with most things under Christopher Luxon he's made the situation much worse. This is a further burden on the taxpayer on top of the half a billion he has already wasted. 'Christopher Luxon promised his business background would fix things – but he cannot even run a project to replace our ferries. This isn't a delay, it's a total failure of leadership. 'New Zealanders are still waiting for an update from the government as to whether they are any closer to securing ferries by 2029, as they've promised. 'The money National is wasting has to come from somewhere, and we're all paying for it through cuts to health care, job losses, and families falling behind. 'People are struggling with the cost of living while Christopher Luxon makes bad deals that leave Kiwis worse off,' Tangi Utikere said.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Mike Hosking after popularity poll plunge, Netanyahu criticism
Christopher Luxon is set to appear on Newstalk ZB this morning after an eventful week in which he harshly criticised Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu publicly and registered one of his worst polls as Prime Minister. It also comes as the previous government ministers refused to give evidence at the Covid-19 inquiry and hours out from the Cook Strait ferry Aratere making its final sailing today, days after KiwiRail paid $144 million in cancellation fees. He will speak with Mike Hosking at 7.37am. You can listen live below. Luxon is also expected to field questions on his opinions of former Labour ministers refusing to give evidence in a public session as part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic. A minute from the commission last week confirmed Dame Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Dr Ayesha Verrall had refused to front up publicly. The Herald has obtained the results of a snap poll by Curia Market Research for the Taxpayers' Union, which showed more than half – 53% – of respondents disagreed, 28% agreed and 19% were unsure. The Prime Minister is also expected to be quizzed about Aratere's final sailing, following the announcement that KiwiRail has settled with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard with a $144 million final payment following the cancellation of the Project iRex ferries. A procurement process has been under way for new ferries to be delivered by 2029, led by the Government's new Ferry Holdings company. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the forecast cost of the previous project had increased significantly by the time it was cancelled in December 2023. This was largely down to increases in the landside infrastructure costs. 'No government should be advised of billion-dollar blowouts in a major infrastructure programme upon being elected, as was the case after the 2023 general election. 'I am pleased that a more pragmatic solution is now in place that will ensure a safe, reliable Cook Strait service at an affordable price.' Meanwhile, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold talks with US President Donald Trump today in Washington after Trump dropped his push for a ceasefire in Ukraine in favour of pursuing a full peace accord. This was a major shift - announced hours after his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin yielded no clear breakthrough. Luxon is yet to speak out about this shift, but said earlier this year when the Government pledged a further $16m to Ukraine that his condemnation of Russia had not diminished.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Govt Gets It Wrong With Cancelled Ferries
The cost of cancelling the iRex ferries shows the wastefulness and short-term thinking of the Coalition Government. 'We could have had new ferries by next year and millions of dollars left over to spend on critical infrastructure if it weren't for this irresponsible Government,' says the Green Party's spokesperson for Transport, Julie Anne Genter. 'This decision to cancel the contract for new ferries has cost us $671 million. This is a missed opportunity and a massive mark against this Government's credibility. 'For context, that amount of money could have funded the electrification of the main rail line from Waikanae to Palmerston North, or built thousands of much-needed homes. 'New Zealanders should have been taking those new ferries this and next year - instead we've had the Aratere taken out of commission, and more trucks on the road as a result of retiring our only rail-enabled ferry. 'The Hyundai order for two new rail-enabled ferries for $550m was one of the best deals the country ever signed up to. This Coalition Government tore it up and will likely be forced into signing a deal that leaves us worse off in the short and long term. 'The Government must stop cutting corners and commit to funding a transport network that works for people and planet,' says Julie Anne Genter.
