Thomas Davis News

NewZealand's KiwiRail says that the Interislander ferry Arahura has left Wellington for her scheduled bi-annual dry-docking in Devonport, having last visited Auckland in July 2012. Docking is being undertaken at the Devonport Dockyard under the management of Babcock’s New Zealand. The principal work relates to the vessel’s regulatory compliance regime, which requires machinery and propulsion equipment to be inspected and if necessary, repaired. Work to be carried out while the vessel is in dry dock  includes tail shaft removal, an overhaul of the propeller hub, and crack testing of all propeller blades and securing bolts. Arahura’s rail deck will undergo routine track maintenance which will be completed by the KiwiRail track maintenance team.

KiwiRail confirms that salvors Seaworks have successfully recovered the ferry Aratere’s propeller, which was lost from the ship when the shaft fractured on November 5, 2013 outside the Tory Channel. “The propeller was retrieved from a depth of around 120 meters and approximately two nautical miles from Tory Channel using strops that were fitted around the blades of the propeller and part of the shaft via a remote controlled underwater vehicle. The propeller was then secured to…