Person seriously injured by truck on Bluebridge ferry at Wellington wharf
The Bluebridge, left, and Interislander ferries at port in Picton. File photo.
By Georgina Campbell
NZ Herald Senior Multimedia Journalist
A person has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after an incident involving a truck on one of the Bluebridge ferries.
Emergency services descended on the Straitsman ferry this morning.
A Wellington Free Ambulance spokeswoman said one person had been taken to Wellington Hospital in a serious condition. She earlier said it was a “multi-agency response”.
A police spokesman confirmed police were responding to an incident at Waterloo Quay, which was reported at 7.30am.
“It appears one person has sustained serious injuries in an incident involving a truck.”
Inquiries into how the incident occurred were under way, he said.
Maritime NZ has been approached for comment.
The incident is the latest in a string of unfortunate events for the Cook Strait ferry operators. Both Bluebridge and Interislander ferries have been hit with breakdowns and engine problems over the past few weeks. Some of the ferries have broken down partway through journeys across the strait.
Multiple sailings have been cancelled and thousands of passengers left stranded as both ferry operators are booked to capacity until mid to late March.
The displaced passengers have had to fork out hundreds of dollars for flights - some abandoning their cars with plans to fly back in a month to retrieve them - and others have had to find medium-term accommodation until they can squeeze onto another sailing across the strait.
The ferry shortage is exacerbated by one of Bluebridge’s vessels, the Strait Feronia, being in Sydney for mandatory drydocking, and Interislander’s Kaitaki being freight-only while it is audited after a breakdown.
Kaitaki’s breakdown sparked a mayday call and dramatic emergency response after the vessel stopped in the middle of the strait several weeks ago.
The Aratere also broke down in the strait near the entrance to the Tory Channel a short time later, leaving the boat apparently adrift as wild weather from Cyclone Gabrielle approached.
This article first appeared on the NZ Herald and is republished with permission.