The Maritime Safety Authority is investigating an incident following a problem with the Aratere ferry’s automatic navigation system at the entrance to Tory Channel at 5.20pm yesterday.
MSA General Manager Operations John Mansell says the MSA is very concerned there was potential for a serious grounding.
“Fortunately, the Master was able to alter the course manually and bring her back on track.
“The MSA is carrying out an urgent investigation. We have also imposed conditions that require the Aratere to be manually steered through the Tory Channel and in Wellington Harbour until the cause of the problem has been identified,” he said.