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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.