Latest news with #Bluebridge
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Dunne's Weekly: A Tale Of Two Ferries
In March this year, Straits Shipping, operators of the Bluebridge Cook Strait ferries, announced the purchase of a new ferry. The nearly 28,000 tonne Livia, built in 2008, was bought to replace the 28 year-old Strait Feronia, in service with Bluebridge since 2015. The Livia arrived in Wellington earlier this month and began service on the Cook Strait run this week. No terminal renovations have been required in either Picton or Wellington to accommodate the Livia, which will carry around 375 passengers and 200 cars. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure, owners of Straits Shipping since 2022, have not disclosed the Livia's purchase price nor how long the purchase negotiations took. In sharp contrast to Bluebridge's apparent time-frame for replacing the Strait Feronia, back in 2018 the then Labour/New Zealand First coalition government launched the IREX project to replace the publicly owned Interislander line's three aging ferries. Three years later, in June 2021, Kiwirail, the operator of the Interislander ferries, signed a contract with Korea's Hyundai Mipo shipyards to build two new rail enabled ferries. They were projected to enter service in 2026. The cost of the project was estimated to be $1.45 billion. But just over two years later, by the time the current National/Act/New Zealand First coalition had taken office, the project's cost had more than doubled to $3.1 billion. There were estimates the cost could even climb as high as $4 billion by the time the ships were delivered. However, the massive explosion in costs was not related to the ships - their cost remained relatively static - but in the costs of upgrading shoreside facilities on both sides of Cook Strait to accommodate the new ferries. It was therefore no real surprise that the new government cancelled the project and went back to the drawing board, looking for a "Toyota Corolla rather than a Rolls Royce solution" as Finance Minister Nicola Willis said at the time. Earlier this year, the government announced a revised programme for building two new rail-enabled ferries to be in service by 2029, with substantially pared back shoreside facilities. As part of the plan, the trouble-plagued 26 year-old Aratere will be withdrawn in a few weeks. Its withdrawal will mean there will be no rail-enabled ferries on Cook Strait, until the new ships arrive in 2029. By that time, the Interislander's two remaining ferries, Kaiārahi and Kaitaki, will be 31 and 34 years old respectively. They will be long overdue for replacement - only the Tamāhine has served longer on the Cook Strait route, from 1925 to 1962. And, in sharp to contrast to Bluebridge, Interislander's ferry replacement programme will have taken just over eleven years, assuming no further delays. Also by 2029, Bluebridge's other ferry, the 500 passenger, 200 car, Connemara, will be coming up for replacement. But even then it will still be younger than Interislander's ferries are today. Bluebridge and the Interislander have an almost equal share of the Cook Strait passenger and vehicle traffic. Together, they are a vital transport link between the North and South Islands. It is in the interests of both the travelling public and the freight and transport industries that they provide a safe and reliable service across Cook Strait. Yet both have had their share of incidents with their ships in recent years, raising concerns about the age and resilience of the ferries. Given this concern, and the lengthy nature of Interislander's current ferry replacement programme, there must inevitably be questions about the durability of the Cook Strait service until the new ferries arrive in 2029. While Bluebridge has future-proofed its operation, at least for the medium-term, by the acquisition of the Livia at the mid-point of its life, the same cannot confidently be said for the Interislander. Kaitaki and Kaiarahi are already old ships, with the prospect of at least four to five years more service, without major incident, ahead of them. That is a bold assumption. Whereas Interislander's keenness to buy new ferries for the first time since the building of Aratere in 1999 is understandable, it stands in sharp contrast to Bluebridge's strategy of purchasing mid-life ships and turning them over every decade or so. With the cost blow-outs associated with the original IREX project and the delays associated with the refocusing of the ferry replacement programme, taxpayers might be forgiven for wondering whether the more short-term approach of Bluebridge has greater merit. Livia's first Cook Strait crossing this week, just a couple of weeks after arriving in New Zealand, and just over four months after its purchase, will add fuel to that question.
1News
03-07-2025
- Business
- 1News
Bluebridge's new ferry Livia arrives in Wellington
Crowds of people have welcomed Bluebridge's newest ferry, Livia, into Wellington's Oriental Bay this morning. Livia would be a sister ship to the current Connemara vessel, and would replace the Strait Feronia later this year. The boat arrived in the capital this morning following its six-week journey from Denmark, and would provide a 10% increase to vehicle and passenger capacity. StraitNZ chief executive Shane McMahon said he was "very excited" about what the new vessel was capable of. ADVERTISEMENT "I think it will be a great asset for not just the Cook Strait, but also New Zealand." He said the replacement had been in the works since before Christmas, and he was 'thrilled" to secure a vessel of this quality. Strait NZ chief executive Shane McMahon. (Source: 1News) We're all about safe, reliable transport and the important thing is we're investing in capacity.' McMahon said the vessels were sisters so it meant the same machinery was onboard each boat, and would make for easier maintenance. StraitNZ chief executive Shane McMahon said he was "very excited" about what the new vessel was capable of. (Source: 1News) Mark Oldershaw, chief executive at WellingtonNZ said he was 'excited to welcome Bluebridge's Livia to wellington's ferry fleet'. He said it was a 'a vital addition that will strengthen our transport network and help ensure resilience for the country's most important ferry route. 'Livia will play an essential role in keeping Wellington's communities, businesses and visitors connected across the Cook Strait.'
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Scores ignore rain to welcome new Bluebridge ferry
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Scores of people braved the rain in Wellington this morning to welcome a new Cook Strait ferry. StraitNZ Bluebridge's new Cook Strait ferry Livia arrived at Oriental Bay shortly before 9am on Thursday. The vessel left Denmark six weeks ago, travelling to New Zealand via Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and the Panama Canal. StraitNZ chief executive Shane McMahon said it was smooth sailing for the ferry as it made its way across two oceans to New Zealand. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Previously sailing between Germany and Latvia, the Livia is a sister ship to StraitNZ's Connemara , which began service on Cook Strait in 2023. The ferry which began sailing in 2008 will carry 500 passengers and include an extra deck for freight compared to the Strait Feronia which it will replace. Strait Feronia was built in 1997 and was able to carry 400 passengers. McMahon said the Livia would increase the operator's capacity by 10 percent. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Bluebridge's acquisition of the ferry marked a significant next step in the company's ongoing investment in Cook Strait infrastructure and capacity. " Livia delivers an increase in both freight and passenger capacity, and we're very pleased to have secured a vessel of this quality and suitability for Cook Strait conditions." The company currently holds 50 percent of the Cook Strait freight market and almost 40 percent of the passenger market. Its competitor, the Interislander , which is owned by KiwiRail, currently has three Cook Strait ferries to Bluebridge's two, but will be retiring its Aratere ferry later this year. It was not expected to replace the rest of its ageing fleet until new ships were delivered in 2029. Over the next 20 days a number of procedural and safety aspects would take place for the Livia, including audits and the crew familiarising themselves with the ship. Its first sailing is expected to be on 23 July. Meanwhile, at least 100 people huddled in the rain along Oriental Bay this morning, waiting to catch a glimpse of the new ship as it was escorted into the harbour by tugs. Among them was Amy who had travelled by train from Lower Hutt. Susan Rosa and Pepi, who were also among the crowd, travel across the Cook Strait at least once a year and hoped to sail on the Livia on one of their future trips. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
02-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
New Cook Strait ferry arrives in Wellington
StraitNZ CEO Shane McMahon talks to Herald NOW about Bluebridge's new ferry Livia which arrives in Wellington on Thursday after a six-week journey from Europe.
1News
02-07-2025
- Business
- 1News
New Cook Strait ferry due in Wellington today
Bluebridge's new Cook Strait ferry will be arriving in Wellington today. In a post on its Facebook page, Bluebridge said the Livia was scheduled to sail into the capital about 8am. After completing a full dry dock in Denmark the ship had departed Europe and made its way through the Panama Canal and on to New Zealand. The company announced in March it was buying the vessel to replace the Strait Feronia, which first launched in 1997. At the time, StraitNZ chief executive Shane McMahon said the company was familiar with the vessel type and knew it was well suited to work on Cook Strait. ADVERTISEMENT McMahon said the new ship would provide a 10 percent increase in vehicle capacity and increase Bluebridge passenger capacity significantly with further alterations. Bluebridge said the Livia would sail into Wellington harbour escorted by tugs. It invited the public to view the arrival from Oriental Bay where it would be handing out coffee in a Bluebridge keep cup, chocolate fish and a chance to win a return trip on the ship. As the Stena Livia, the ship had sailed for the Stena Line between Germany and Latvia. It began sailing in 2008.
