Source: Radio New Zealand
Interislander ferry Kaitaki was sailing into Wellington Harbour in January 2023 with 854 passengers on board when it lost power. KiwiRail
Council leaders on both sides of Cook Strait say lives could be put at risk due to its emergency tug being off-contract from this month.
In November it was announced the government had sunk plans to station an open ocean tug in the Cook Strait long-term after it said the costs outweighed the benefits.
The government also announced it would end the contract for the MMA Vision open ocean tug this month, rather than June when it was contracted for.
For years local government leaders on either side of the North and South Island had been calling for open ocean tugs after several near-miss accidents.
One of these was in January 2023 when the Interislander ferry Kaitaki was sailing into Wellington Harbour with 854 passengers on board and lost power, which resulted in a mayday call.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter said the absence of an emergency tug posed unacceptable risks.
Daran Ponter. RNZ / Dom Thomas
“Cancelling the MMA Vision contract puts lives and economic lifelines in peril.”
Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor agreed, saying it was one of the most complex stretches of water in the world to navigate.
“It’s also a shipping route of national significance where the government is responsible for safety.”
The two leaders had penned a letter to Transport Minister Chris Bishop asking for an extension of the MMA Vision’s contract. They said not having the tug nearby would risk human safety, financial stability and the environment given the clean-up cost and damage if a large ship sank.
Ponter said from July, the closest vessel that would have emergency open ocean tug capability would be 1200 nautical miles away in Australia.
“That’s about five days of travel time. We cannot depend on harbour tugs for open-ocean rescues. They are not designed, equipped or crewed for towing large vessels in Cook Strait – where conditions are frequently beyond their operating parameters.”
RNZ has approached Bishop for a response.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
