[ad_1]
Interislander ferry Kaitaki sailed for Picton overnight on Saturday to continue repairs on one of its faulty gearboxes.
The ship was taken out of service again earlier this month for at least two weeks after engineers discovered a fault in a bearing in one of its two gearboxes when it docked in Wellington – just one day after it resumed carrying passengers following a power failure from a cooling system problem in late January.
Interislander has since flown a Dutch engineer urgently to New Zealand to inspect the gearbox, which wasrefurbished within the past year.
The Ports of Marlborough website showed Kaitaki arrived at Picton at 6am on Sunday with an estimated departure date of Sunday, April 30.
READ MORE:
* Transport minister wants ‘clear plan’ around safety, reliability for Interislander ferry fleet
* Engineering fault puts Interislander ferry Kaitaki out of service again
* Interislander ferry Kaitaki to take passengers again from Saturday
Interislander operations general manager Duncan Roy said the ship shifted location because of space constraints in Wellington and the need for a guaranteed berth to conduct repairs.
There was no firm timeline for when the repairs would be completed.
MONIQUE FORD/Stuff
Kaitaki has been moved to Picton while repairs on its gearbox continue.
“The April 30 date is a conservative placeholder to ensure the ship will not need to move again.”
Transport Minister Michael Wood said last week there needed to be better management of the current fleet before two new ferries arrive in 2025.
[ad_2]