The Interislander ferry Arahura will be retired from service and replaced next year with the Swedish-owned ferry Stena Alegra, it has been announced.
With an estimated cost of $25 million to bring the 31-year-old vessel up to standard, it was decided to discontinue the Cook Strait ferry from service, KiwiRail said today. It was also deemed unable to meet future freight demand.
Its replacement, the Stena Alegra, was brought in to cover for the Aratere when it was undergoing repairs earlier this year.
The vessel is almost one third bigger than the Arahura, and can transport close to the same amount of freight in two return sailings as the Arahura can in three, as well as up to 520 passengers, KiwiRail said.
"It will increase our overall freight and passenger capacity on a critical link for the country. Interislander is an extension of the main trunk line and State Highway One across Cook Strait, and vital for our economy," said KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy.
"The Stena Alegra will undergo a significant upgrade and refurbishment prior to her arrival in New Zealand, and will be renamed," said Reidy.
The upgrade will include new passenger facilities for up to 520 people, the fitting of external stabilisers, equipment upgrades and new gangway access.
The vessel will be brought in as a medium-term charter, instead of being bought by KiwiRail.
"Following on from her charter in the first half of 2014, [the ship masters'] feedback was that the vessel will have the speed and capacity to maintain a good service and will be powerful enough and capable of manoeuvring in winds up to gale force," said KiwiRail.
Reidy said that after ruling out construction of a bespoke roll-on roll-off rail ferry due to cost, the company started looking for a replacement RoPax (road-passenger) vessel in 2013.
Four vessels, including the Stena Alegra, were shortlisted.
"The Stena Alegra's capacity gives us a big efficiency gains and future proofs our fleet for increased customer demand," said Reidy.
Work to upgrade the ship to Interislander requirements, will be carried out by the ship's owner Stena Line.
Mr Reidy said it is the Stena Line's responsibility to deliver the ship in good working order and compliant with all Classification Society, flag and port state requirements.
"They are the largest owner of RoRo ships in the world and have considerable technical and project management expertise in refurbishing their vessels to meet the needs of their customers," Reidy said.
"The new passenger areas will be of the same standard as the Kaitaki which we recently upgraded."
"This decision is the result of a rigorous process stretching back several years", said Reidy.
"All options have been considered, and the KiwiRail Board has been closely involved right the way through."
Commenting on the decision not to replace the Arahura with a rail capable ferry, Reidy said that a new generation ship would have been required due to changes in stability rules.
"That means ships with a much wider beam, requiring new ferry berths and specialist link-span infrastructure at both Wellington and Picton."
"The total cost could have risen to over $300 million, and we would have had to order the ship three years in advance," said Reidy
Reidy said the Aratere will continue to be the main rail ferry, carrying some 75% of rail freight for another 10-12 years.
"Freight will be loaded on the Stena Alegra by what's called 'road bridging'. We've used this process since 2011 while the Aratere was away and for dry docks, so it's already proven."
"Freight customers won’t notice any difference, and it's just as efficient," said Reidy.
The Stena Alegra has not been without its own problems on the six month Cook Strait crossing.
Shortly before it was chartered by KiwiRail in January, the ferry ran aground in a storm in the Baltic Sea in October last year.
Then, only a week on to the new job, the ferry lost power as it was leaving Wellington.
The Stena Alegra later suffered a nasty gash to to its hull which took it out of action.
Its crew also came down with an illness that forced the cancellation of some sailings.
The Stena Alegra was brought in as a temporary replacement for the troubled ferry Aratere, which has suffered a string of mechanical failures - notably the loss of its propeller during a sailing in November last year.
KiwiRail anticipates the vessel will enter service in mid-2015.
Source: Press Release - KiwiRail and The New Zealand Herald
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