Ferry fleet boost as key parts replaced
Executive General Manager Interislander Duncan Roy says a new regime has been put in place across the fleet. Photo: Supplied.
Kiwi Rail bosses reviewed the regime for replacing vital rubber expansion joints (REJs) after the Kaitaki lost all power in January 2023, stranding passengers at sea.
A Maritime Inquiry by the Transport Accident Investigation Committee found a ruptured joint was partly to blame for the loss of power.
Executive General Manager Interislander Duncan Roy says all ten REJs were replaced on the Kaitaki first then across the rest of the fleet.
“KiwiRail reviewed the routines for inspection, renewal and shelf life of similar REJs and implemented a new regime across the full fleet.
“Any REJs which did not comply with the new maintenance requirements were replaced. We have since replaced all REJs, at an approximate cost of $100-200k.”
Duncan says the current procedure for inspecting and replacing rubber expansion joints exceeds manufacturers’ guidelines.
A fleet memo has also gone out fleet-wide about storage and lifecycle management specifying a 4-year replacement requirement from date of manufacture to install and from install to replacement.
“This requirement was based over and above the maker’s guidance,” Duncan says.
“TAIC’s recommendations and has been audited by international class authorities and Maritime NZ.”
The ruptured REJ should have been replaced about two months before it failed, say the commission investigation team.
“Regardless of inspection findings, safety critical REJs should be replaced after five years,” an interim report stated.
“REJs begin to deteriorate from their date of manufacture. Over time the rubber hardens and becomes more susceptible to cracking and delamination.”
Following the incident last year, the Commission welcomed moves by KiwiRail to replace all REJs onboard the Kaitaki.
The report highlighted the importance, in the interests of transport safety, that the recommendations to check all REJs was done done without delay.
Duncan says the move has seen an increase in reliability of all its ships.
“We have competent people, rigorous processes and a programme of continuous improvement to ensure our ships are safe and our service is reliable.
“Our three ships are the workhorses of Cook Strait.
“They have delivered excellent performance in recent months with our enhanced maintenance programme producing tangible results, with 99 per cent reliability and 92 per cent safe, on-time performance to schedule during December to April.
For the month of April, we operated at 100 per cent reliability and 98 per cent on-time performance.”