20 September 2024

National road freight association Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is concerned to hear this morning that Bluebridge’s ferry, the MV Connemara, had reported engine trouble in Cook Strait.

Dom Kalasih, interim chief executive of Transporting New Zealand, says he understands the prompt response with tug assistance and the professionalism of the Bluebridge crew meant no one was at risk, which is always a relief.

"I'm sure the team at Bluebridge will be even more concerned than us to determine what has gone wrong and I’ll stick to my rule of refraining from speculation as to what went wrong."

"But my stance, and that of Transporting New Zealand, is that no matter who is operating the ferry services across the strait, we all need a reliable, safe platform that is cost effective and fit for purpose."

"It’s also a reminder of the perils of having less ships rather than more. The iReX scheme would have had two large ferries. I think the magic number is closer to three."

About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.

Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4,700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.

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