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Post by fish on Feb 20, 2023 22:15:07 GMT 12
Is anyone keeping track of this?
There is only one ferry, the Aratere(?) carrying passengers on Cook Straight currently.
Kaiarahi has apparently blown here shaft again, having only been repaired late last year. Is now laid up in Picton.
Kaitaki, freight only while they fess up to how they lost all power and declared a Mayday.
Over at Bluebridge:
Connemara has blown a turbo, on her first or second day in service.
Strait Feronia is going to dry dock in Sydney for 6 weeks, leaves tonight.
I've possibly missed one that is still working, but Interislander have cancelled and refunded all pax bookings. People can't re-book!?! Earliest availability is 18th March...
If we weren't distracted by a fucking cyclone, the media would be all over this like a cheap suit. Kind of key economic and freight link, being managed incredibly badly. Did someone say State Owned Enterprise?
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Post by sabre on Feb 20, 2023 22:39:14 GMT 12
That must be screwing with a lot of peoples plans.
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Post by Fogg on Feb 20, 2023 22:52:13 GMT 12
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Post by em on Feb 21, 2023 7:25:59 GMT 12
Time for coastal freight to come back and another competitor to enter the straight shipping duopoly . It was only a few years ago that the last coastal shipping company shut shop . They had a couple of small container ships , they would be very handy right now especially for northland and Hawkes bay .
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Post by El Toro on Feb 21, 2023 8:08:54 GMT 12
Needs to be Roro Em and there is zero backload, so nobody can make it work.
Yes Fish I am watching this and the pain it is causing all sorts of people.
Its a complete shambles and has been like this for almost 18 months.
At one point I had over 800 units to move over the ditch and was getting 8 slots per day...had to bite the bullet, take a huge hit and convince a shipping company to go in and grab 400 from Wellington and take to LYT.
Hell of a business model
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Post by fish on Feb 21, 2023 9:36:42 GMT 12
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Post by fish on Feb 21, 2023 9:44:11 GMT 12
Correction on my original post.
Connemara was in service for 3 weeks before shitting itself (blown turbo), not one or two days as I first said.
Does anyone know what is actually going on?
I understand the old ferries used to have scheduled lay-up days. I'd imagine this was for regular planned maintenance. These ones are made to run 24/7.
Also, Interislander cancelled a sailing on a functioning ferry last weekend due to 'crew shortages'. I am assuming they are screwing the crew on wages and conditions, and consequently they can't get good regular crew. This is only a suspicion on my part. But we know the whole sector is short of good staff. If your an engineer, the boats are fucked and you are under massive pressure to make dodgy fixes and keep to schedule, I'd imagine the good ones would spit the dummy fairly quickly.
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Post by fish on Feb 21, 2023 10:01:55 GMT 12
So Aratere is the last passenger ferry operating today. And Valentine for road freight.
Is there an impact from shit imported fuel now that Marsden Point is closed? Connemara made it half way around the world without an issue...
From Bluebridge website:-
Unfortunately, the disruption caused by the Connemara cancellation has impacted the Straitsman’s schedule significantly and urgent operational requirements mean that the following passenger sailings have had to be cancelled:
Tuesday 21 February
Wellington to Picton
1:30 pm
Picton to Wellington
7:15 pm
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Post by Lionel on Feb 21, 2023 10:13:19 GMT 12
Wglgaf happened to Pacifica shipping. They did wgtn to chch
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Post by El Toro on Feb 21, 2023 11:42:16 GMT 12
Wglgaf happened to Pacifica shipping. They did wgtn to chch Yes, I was one of their biggest customers. Was 3 days a week, then 2 days, then 1, then nothing. Ended many moons ago. LYT port is a complete dogs breakfast due to coal ships taking priority... which means ships drop the port call if they are going to get kicked back out to see mid load/unload, basically nobody wants to go there, which then puts more pressure on the ferries. Has been creaking for about 5 years, then turned to custard about 3 years ago... no end in sight, even when the 2 new big ferries arrive in 2025 imo. |
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Post by fish on Feb 28, 2023 10:46:38 GMT 12
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Post by El Toro on Feb 28, 2023 11:42:29 GMT 12
It will achieve nothing, lipstick on a pig, is still a pig
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Post by GO30 on Feb 28, 2023 12:19:22 GMT 12
Are we/they talking both Toll and Bluebridge or just ond of them?
Seems a tad fuck up if it us both but sadly it wouldn't come as a surprise.
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Post by Fogg on Feb 28, 2023 12:28:38 GMT 12
I think it’s a symptom of problems more widely across the car & psssenger ferry sector. The Auckland ferries regularly experience delays & cancellations due to either mech or crew issues. Waiheke gets priority which means other routes (like GH) are increasingly frequently replaced by buses. Much to the annoyance of the pax.
I think the shorter trips and more benign conditions in the Gulf means they get away with problems more easily. Whereas the brutal conditions of the Cook St means there’s nowhere to hide and the smallest problem can become a serious issue quickly.
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Post by fish on Feb 28, 2023 12:43:51 GMT 12
Just for Fogg: Replacing Ferries with Taxis, of course... Auckland traffic: Ferries out due to mechanical issues, replaced by taxis and buses A handful of Auckland ferry services impacted by “mechanical issues” have been replaced by taxis and buses on Tuesday. The 12.10pm Auckland to Bayswater ferry and its return 12.25pm Bayswater to Auckland service would be replaced by taxis because of mechanical problems, Auckland Transport posted on Twitter on Tuesday morning. Services between Auckland and Gulf Harbour (12.30pm to Gulf Harbour, and 1.30pm return to Auckland) were being replaced by buses, also due to mechanical issues. It comes after Aucklanders faced a crawling commute on Tuesday morning, with heavy traffic plaguing the city on the day before the official start of March Madness, Auckland’s infamously busy month on the roads. www.stuff.co.nz/national/traffic-updates/300817863/auckland-traffic-ferries-out-due-to-mechanical-issues-replaced-by-taxis-and-buses |
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