A Ro-Pax ferry operating between New Zealand's North and South Islands ran aground shortly after it departed on a scheduled voyage in the late evening (local time) of Friday, June 21. Aratere, a ferry belonging to the fleet of government-owned company Interislander, struck the side of a cliff shortly after sailing three kilometres out of Picton on South Island at around 21:45 on Friday.
The ferry turned gradually from its intended course and headed for a rocky area. Duncan Roy, General Manager of Interislander, attributed the mishap to a "steering failure."
Mr Roy added that Aratere was on a scheduled freight-only sailing with no passengers at the time of the grounding. The ferry remained afloat with electrical power still circulating, and no injuries were reported among the 39-strong crew and the eight commercial vehicle drivers, all of whom have since disembarked.
Aratere was successfully refloated during high tide at around 21:00 on Sunday, June 23. Local authorities have also assured that there are no signs of pollution.
The grounding is the latest in a series of incidents that have involved Aratere and two other Interislander ferries, Kaitaki and Kaiarahi. In January 2023, Kaitaki lost power during a storm as it was entering Wellington Harbour. The following November, Kaiarahi suffered a hull breach after it struck a wharf, prompting Interislander to take the vessel out of service for several weeks.
