Source: Radio New Zealand
The Connemara was scheduled to depart Wellington at 8.30pm, but it has now canned the service (file photo). RNZ / Bill Hickman
Bluebridge have once again cancelled a scheduled Connemara sailing not far ahead of its departure, but it says the ship’s fault is fixed and it will back in service tomorrow.
The Connemara was scheduled to depart Wellington at 8.30pm, but it has now canned the service.
But Bluebridge said repairs to address the ongoing technical fault had been completed and the ship is expected to resume services at 8.15am tomorrow.
StraitNZ Bluebridge spokesperson Will Dady said sea trials to test the repair were being conducted today.
“We’d like to say thank you to our freight customers and passengers for their patience and apologise again for the disruption to their travel plans over the past week or so,” Dady said.
Passengers vent frustration at short notice cancellations
It has been 10 days since the Connemara was side-lined due to a technical fault.
Since then RNZ has been contacted by numerous passengers frustrated by the incremental notifications offered by the ferry provider – which in some cases saw people travelling significant distances to make sailings which were subsequently cancelled.
Today Bluebridge’s Will Dady acknowledged the impact on customers caught up in the disruptions.
“We do everything we can to give passengers as much notice as possible while still being able to manage the volume of passengers we are working one-to-one with to reschedule or refund. But we understand rolling cancellations can be frustrating for those that prefer longer lead times,” Dady said.
Maritime NZ detain Connemara following inspections
On Monday evening Maritime NZ announced that a “Port State Control Inspection” of the ship conducted ahead of the weekend had led the waterways regulator to detain the ship in berth at Wellington.
“Once the issues have been rectified and checked and approved by its classification society surveyor, its flag state (Bahamas), and our inspectors, we will remove the detention,” a spokesperson said.
RNZ has requested details of when the detainment notice would be able to be lifted from Maritime NZ.
Bluebridge notifications placing additional pressure on passengers
Destination Marlborough’s Tracey Green said the regional tourism organisation had met with Bluebridge today to discuss the cancellations and the upcoming Easter holiday.
She said the ferry providers’ communications had fallen short of expectations.
“It’s fair to say that Bluebridge hasn’t delivered the same level of information or service that we expect from them.
“So it has placed that additional pressure on passengers not knowing or finding out in a time frame that’s not really suitable for them that they could find alternative arrangements,” Green said.
Last week Bluebridge apologised “unreservedly” for the disruption but the company was yet to elaborate on the nature of the fault, just that it was taking longer than anticipated to fix.
Notifications on the Bluebridge website directed customers to their online Refunds and Compensation page for any claims relating to the cancellations.
The ferry provider had assured Destination Marlborough they were doing all they could to have sailings back on schedule in time for the Easter break, Green said Tuesday.
“They are trying hard to ensure that there’s no disruption over the Easter period and that’s the main priority.
“My discussions with them regarding priorities is ‘Is Easter going to be seamless?’. Are we going to see that there’s no disruption because Easter can be a really difficult time with people going to see family and travelling between Islands.
“I would like to say that it is a definite but, however, I have to leave those decisions in their hands because there is a lot of work going on between now and Easter – and it’s only a short window – but we have been assured, as best as we can, that Easter will be operational,” Green said.
A silver lining to the ship’s failure was that some travellers might have got to spend a little more time in the region but she was wary of that experience being tainted by the frustration over cancellations and delays, Green said.
“The biggest challenge for us in our region is the perception of the reputation of these ferries. These connecting transport providers – are in some cases lifelines to both of these islands – and when people choose not to utilise them it impacts the communities that surround them.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
