CLASSIFICATION society DNV has found KiwiRail’s three ferries are in better shape than first thought, and with appropriate maintenance and upkeep expenditure can remain in service for five years or more.
Despite all the recent vicissitudes – including the 21 June grounding of rail/ro-pax Aratere outside Picton – the DNV report, a summary of which was obtained by the NZ Herald under the Official Information Act, found “there are no systemic issues that prevent The Interislander fleet safely and reliably operating until 2029”.
However, this was conditional on an increase in annual average maintenance allocations from NZ$29 million to $36 million, as well as the replacement of obsolete equipment, enhanced inspection and monitoring, all relevant Class and Statutory surveys being carried out, and the vessels continuing to hold valid certificates.
Near-obsolescent systems included bridge systems, communications systems, and engine control and monitoring system on the Kaiarahi; the bridge radar on the Kaitaki; and the propulsion management, bridge and stabiliser systems on the Aratere. DNV rated the general condition of the first two as “good to fair” and of Aratere as “good”. Ironically it is thought crew unfamiliarity with a new steering system on the latter led to its grounding.
The Maritime Union of NZ has sounded a note of caution about the seaworthiness of Interislander ferries in the wake of the release of the DVN assessment.
National secretary Carl Findlay said the Union appreciated the efforts being made by KiwiRail, but members on the ferries had real concerns about health and safety: “Our members crew those ferries, so if something does go wrong they are placed in danger.”
Mr Findlay said keeping the current vessels running until the end of the decade is a stop gap measure at best.
“There have been a number of technical issues with the ferries already, some with potentially very serious outcomes, and the fact remains that there are many ageing systems and components in service on the ferries.
“KiwiRail doesn’t really have any choice but to soldier on with end of life vessels and push up maintenance costs and maintenance time for the ships.”
Mr Findlay said the main problem remained: there is no clear indication yet what the NZ Government has planned in place of the iReX project it dumped last year.
The union said the full cost of abandoning the iRex project is yet to be determined and would possibly wipe out any savings on new ferries and terminal infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Aratere successfully resumed freight-only service last week and, pending MNZ approval, will return to passenger carrying by the end of the month.
