Preliminary report in ongoing inquiry. For safety critical rubber expansion joints to be fit for purpose, maintenance schedules must account for date of manufacture as well as time in service. On Interislander ferry Kaitaki, one of these joints was too old when it ruptured. The cooling system failed, causing automatic shut-down of main and auxiliary engines. In foul weather, with 900 people on board, ferry drifted towards shore, anchored until repairs completed 1 hour later.
Executive summary
The reported circumstances were that the passenger ferry Kaitaki was en route from Picton to Wellington with about 800 passengers and 80 crew on board on 28 January 2023.
At about 5pm, the vessel was in the Cook Strait off Wellington’s South Coast when it suffered a main engine failure and loss of propulsion. The vessel dropped anchor at that point. Onboard engineers began repair work and restored power about 2 hours later. The vessel, escorted by two tugs, proceeded to Wellington without further incident.
[As initially reported, subject to change, not official findings].