Bluebridge announce upgrade to ferry fleet

An upgraded, yet familiar, ferry will be joining the Bluebridge fleet later this year for Cook Strait services.

StraitNZ Bluebridge has purchased the Stena Livia vessel, launched in 2008, from European based Stena Line as part of its ongoing investment in Cook Strait infrastructure and capacity.

The renamed vessel – a sister ship of Bluebridge's Connemara - currently runs Germany to Latvia services.

It is scheduled to join the fleet this July and replace the Strait Feronia by the end of the year.

StraitNZ Chief Executive Shane McMahon said in a press release that Bluebridge "is delighted to have secured this high-quality vessel as part of its continued commitment to upgrade services for Cook Strait customers".

“We are familiar with the vessel type and know it is well suited to work on Cook Strait. When we set out to find a suitable vessel replacement a few months ago, we wanted to be able to provide more freight and passenger capacity and the Livia delivers both.”

“Bluebridge has invested and grown its Cook Strait fleet for the past 32 years. Where it makes commercial sense, we will continue to invest in capacity for our customers – both freight and passenger. As a private company this investment is made with no funding from government for vessels or landside infrastructure.”

The new ship will provide a 10% increase in vehicle capacity and increase Bluebridge passenger capacity significantly with further alterations.