New Zealand ferry runs aground, no injuries
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Operated by state-owned enterprise KiwiRail, the Interislander Aratere ferry ran aground in the June 21 incident near the town of Picton, on the north coast of the South Island.
PHOTO: SKYWORKS/FACEBOOK
SYDNEY – A ferry ran aground in New Zealand during an island crossing, but there were no injuries although 47 people unable to disembark had to spend the night aboard in an incident the government described on June 22 as “very concerning”.
Operated by state-owned enterprise KiwiRail, the Interislander Aratere ferry ran aground in the June 21 incident near the town of Picton, on the north coast of the South Island.
“It’s great there’s been no loss of life and that everyone on board is safe,” Transport Minister Simeon Brown said in a press conference accessed on the New Zealand Herald news site.
“That is certainly the top priority.”
Forty-seven people spent the night on the ferry after it ran aground just after 10pm, the site said.
The refloating of the ferry, part of a fleet that links the capital Wellington and Picton, is scheduled for late on June 22 night.
An investigation into the “very concerning” incident had been launched, said Mr Brown, who posted on X on June 21 ruling out the risk of oil pollution.
KiwiRail says the fleet ferries nearly 800,000 passengers across the Cook Strait in 4,000 journeys a year. REUTERS
