Free champagne as Black Cat Cruises celebrates

media release 6 may 2009 

Free champagne as Black Cat Cruises celebrates ferry contract

Diamond Harbour ferry users will be treated to free champagne tomorrow as Black Cat Cruises celebrates being awarded the contract to continue running the ferry service between Lyttelton and Diamond harbour for another five and a half year years.

Environment Canterbury awarded the company the contract as part of its passenger service tender process. The contract was up for renewal and Black Cat Cruises Managing Director Paul Bingham said he was “delighted” with the news.

“The ferry is an important and significant part of our cruise business. It benefits from the infrastructure, expertise and systems that the company has built up to support its whole product range,” he said.

Black Cat Cruises has been running the Diamond Harbour Ferry since 2000, and the service has seen a steady growth in passengers.

Bingham said about 50 percent of the ferry’s passengers were commuters with the rest visiting the Diamond Harbour area.

“It does 154 trips per week which is approximately 40,000 kilometres per year. It really is a valuable part of the area’s transport infrastructure.”

As part of the process ECAN assesses experience, track record, management, technical skills and plant.

“It is recognition of the thousands of passengers that have travelled with us, the efforts of our team to look after them and our level of service. We are looking forward to opening bottles of champagne to share the moment with our customers,” Bingham said.

Black Cat Cruises has been operating for 23 years and is a former winner of the Supreme tourism award and is the largest tourism operator on Banks Peninsula.

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