Cook Strait Ferries Megathread

[Coldrider]

Completely OT but how the hell can a monstrous great ship lose a propeller? Somebody forgot to tighten the Allen bolt?

snapped shaft, 7000kw, would have rotated out of the bearings at a great rate of knots. I wonder how far it actually travelled unguided. They would save a lot of time and money if they find it.

[awayatc]

Luckily the skandi Hercules is fully equiped for the job with ROV and all the gismos..
and she is in New Zealand at the moment..
Just around the corner of Taranaki...

[Winston001]

Thats interesting, is a propeller so valuable that it would be worth having a ROV search for it?

Anyone know the full story on the Aratere?

[BMWST?]

Thats interesting, is a propeller so valuable that it would be worth having a ROV search for it?

Anyone know the full story on the Aratere?

aprt from this...no

Disruption Update 20 November 2013

Aratere Update
Aratere's starboard shaft broke on 05 November and the propeller was lost.
Interislander is in the process of organising a trial to use ultrasonic equipment to test the remaining port shaft and propeller. We hope that this will assist the regulators in allowing Aratere to sail for repair or be used as a single shaft freight ship for a short period until she can be fully repaired.
Yesterday our technical management staff and some specialists visited a NZ engineering firm who have provided a proposal to supply a replacement shaft for Aratere. This proposal will be considered alongside options for supply from overseas. It is great to see Kiwi ingenuity helping to assist us to find the quickest possible solution for Aratere.

Replacement Ship
Interislander is currently looking at the options around potentially bringing an interim replacement ship into New Zealand whilst the Aratere is being repaired. Two prospective charter ships have been inspected overseas and we await the reports.
Two more ships will be inspected and their reports completed before the end of the week.
If it is possible to introduce an interim replacement ship, the earliest this would be in NZ is mid-January.

[MD]

I assume you mean that you are leaving your bike on the lean stand and not lifting it up vertical on straps..just securing it on the lean? I intend having it upright and off the stand..leaving stand down. So for that - no matter whose tie downs I use - still can't attach to bars without straps over the bar ends. Seems there is a division of opinion on that - leave bike leaning or lift up and brace it. I guess it is a case of - both are right - if done right.

I've taken my bikes on the ferries more times than you've had [insert something you have had a lot OK] I carry my own tie downs but have rarely needed to get them out. It's far quicker to use the InterIs. ones at the ready. Even bikes I've owned with a centre stand I still used the side stand. It just looks far more secure to me.

Bikes can slide around on the centre stand because it's metal on greasy metal floor. Whereas the side stand keeps the rear tire in contact, far grippier.

[BMWST?]

I've taken my bikes on the ferries more times than you've had [insert something you have had a lot OK] I carry my own tie downs but have rarely needed to get them out. It's far quicker to use the InterIs. ones at the ready. Even bikes I've owned with a centre stand I still used the side stand. It just looks far more secure to me.

Bikes can slide around on the centre stand because it's metal on greasy metal floor. Whereas the side stand keeps the rear tire in contact, far grippier.

and by your own logic having the bike vertical with no side stand makes it even grippier.I use two at the front bike in gear and one of theirs on the back and use a chock too if there is one,two if there is enough.Makes it easy on my bike cos there are a million places i can hook tie down too

[_Shrek_]

you are better to tie the bike down without the stands, that way there is no pressure on the stands etc... when it is rough

[Drew]

It's all personal preference I suppose. But given that MD goes down south a few times a year, if he offered to tie my bike down while I went and took a piss, I wouldn't even bother to go back and check it.

[CrazyFrog]

So they've found the propellor on the seabed 2 nautical miles from Tory Channel 120m deep.
"Hello 0800-Salvage, we need something picked up, oh it weighs a mere 6 tonnes."

Questions is, how long before it is salvaged and then how long before the Aratere is back in service?
Has anyone tried booking a vehicle on the Interislander in the last week or so, for travel between now and January holiday period, it's near impossible, everything is booked out. Bluebridge is prolly doing quite well out of the deal, but even they are filling up fast.
Interislander do seem to squeeze bikes on okay though

[Fern]

so so so glad I booked me and the bitch (my bike) on the Bluebridge when I did, its chokka!

[shafty]

So they've found the propellor on the seabed 2 nautical miles from Tory Channel 120m deep.
"Hello 0800-Salvage, we need something picked up, oh it weighs a mere 6 tonnes."

Questions is, how long before it is salvaged and then how long before the Aratere is back in service?
Has anyone tried booking a vehicle on the Interislander in the last week or so, for travel between now and January holiday period, it's near impossible, everything is booked out. Bluebridge is prolly doing quite well out of the deal, but even they are filling up fast.
Interislander do seem to squeeze bikes on okay though

I've booked three crossings since the Aratere dropped it's prop, but have deferred automatically to Bluebridge as The Interislander announced " we're taking no more bookings'

Booked last night successfully to bring my new-to-me DR400 home from the Mainland - was surprised how many options were available......

[BMWST?]

i have used the interislander exclusively till now .I am voting with my feet.I will always use bluebridge from now on.

[Grubber]

So they've found the propellor on the seabed 2 nautical miles from Tory Channel 120m deep.
"Hello 0800-Salvage, we need something picked up, oh it weighs a mere 6 tonnes."

Questions is, how long before it is salvaged and then how long before the Aratere is back in service?
Has anyone tried booking a vehicle on the Interislander in the last week or so, for travel between now and January holiday period, it's near impossible, everything is booked out. Bluebridge is prolly doing quite well out of the deal, but even they are filling up fast.
Interislander do seem to squeeze bikes on okay though

Not sure but i think i heard yesterday that they were bringing another ferry from Holland to fill the gap. Should be here in January i think. Bit late if ya ask me.

[_Shrek_]

if you're in no hurry or don't mind the extra half hour, the blue bridge is good to travel on

[MD]

if you're in no hurry or don't mind the extra half hour, the blue bridge is good to travel on

I'm sailing on it tomorrow with the bike with a group of riders. We all got booked on no trouble. I have used BB before but it was some years ago.

More concerned now about the sound of RAIN on the roof! Time to dust off the wets. Most years we can avoid the rain in the South by simply switching sides between East or West, but tomorrow looks like one of those bastard days where there's no escaping the bloody rain.