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• The Interislander Aratere ferry was  at about 9.20pm yesterday, nearly 24 hours after it ran aground in Picton Harbour
• The ferry is due to dock at Picton Harbour this afternoon.
• Independent investigations are under way by Maritime NZ and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.
• Transport Minister Simeon Brown: “What we have seen happen is incredibly concerning”.
• KiwiRail chief executive says: “I’d take my own family on those ships”.

The stricken Aratere ferry is due to dock at Picton Harbour this afternoon.

Port Marlborough’s shipping schedule website lists the ferry as having “arrived” at 4pm today, but a witness says it is yet to dock at port.

The ferry currently has two tugs alongside her which will tow the vessel in shortly.

It was refloated on a high tide last night after running aground in the inner Picton Harbour north of Bob’s Bay on Friday evening and stranding nearly 50 people aboard.

A KiwiRail spokesperson said they were unable to give a specific time when Aratere would berth in Picton, saying it would be when the Kaitaki leaves, while the Port Marlborough website suggests it will arrive at about 4pm today.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said this morning that the Government was committed to getting “great new ships” on Cook Strait.

Asked if he would put his family on the Interislander, he said he would “absolutely”.

He said he would have more to say on the delivery of new ferries in due course.

Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor has extended her thanks to all those involved in the multi-agency response to refloat the grounded ship.

“The speed of the response on site on Friday night is to be commended and many stayed throughout the night to assist,” she said.

• Aratere ferry's future uncertain amid pending investigation
• Passengers disembarking Interislander after 13 hours onboard
• 'Lost the ability to steer the ship': Minister gives update on grounded Interislander
• Francesca Rudkin: The Aratere incident was a PR nightmare for everyone

An early morning view of Interislander ferry Aratere in Marlborough Sounds, before being brought into Picton. Photo / Tim Cuff

The district council’s nautical and coastal team will continue to work with KiwiRail and Port Marlborough alongside Maritime New Zealand on the next steps, Taylor said.

“Oil spill booms will be placed around the Aratere once docked as a precautionary measure to ensure any environmental risk is mitigated. Once the immediate response is over, council’s coastal scientists will also conduct environmental surveys to assess any impact to the site.”

Earlier, the boss of KiwiRail defended the safety of his ships following the successful refloating of the Aratere nearly 24 hours after it ran aground.

The Aratere was refloated by KiwiRail supported by a team of global experts and in collaboration with Maritime NZ, Port Marlborough New Zealand, and the Marlborough District Council Harbour Master.

KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy said this was a small mark on what has been a successful year for the ferries.

“I’d take my own family on those ships right now,” Reidy told media at a press conference this morning.

KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy, left, and Interislander general manager Duncan Roy speak to media at a press conference in Picton after the Aratere ferry was refloated. Photo / Tim Cuff

“We are very disappointed with what has happened over the past 24 hours,” he said.

Interislander general manager Duncan Roy said the hull was watertight and the ferry would be brought into port this morning.

There are some “admin and processes” still to go through before the full investigation can get under way.

Roy said there was little to go on, but there was “little damage” to the ship.

Interislander ferry Aratere seen at anchorage in Picton this morning after running aground on Friday night. Photo / Tim Cuff

He would not speculate on what occurred on Friday that led to the grounding of the boat.

Roy said a new steering system was installed on the ship recently.

He said the new system was “state of the art” and would not say if it might have played a part in the grounding.

Roy said the ship would be moved to a “more permanent berth” on Monday.

Reidy said they know this incident is extremely disruptive for their customers and appreciate patience as they work with them to organise alternative arrangements.

“The Aratere crew are onboard and safe. We need to rebalance the weight of the vessel before it can move into the wharf and have its hull fully examined. Maritime New Zealand, TAIC and KiwiRail are all undertaking investigations.

“Because safety is paramount, Aratere will not operate until it has been released by Maritime New Zealand. At this stage we cannot give a timeframe for its return to service.”

Maritime NZ to place Aratere under detention order

Maritime NZ inspectors will place the Aratere under a detention order when it arrives in Picton, director Kirstie Hewlett said.

“This will enable Maritime NZ to work closely with Aratere’s Classification Society and KiwiRail to understand what has occurred, and what action needs to happen, before the vessel is able to move safely again and can be released.”

Hewlett said the Maritime NZ investigators will also today start an investigation into the grounding.

“They will carry out interviews, examine the scene and ferry, review documents and gather evidence. We will then decide what, if any, further action to take.”

The investigation is expected to take several months to complete.

A member of the public reaches out to touch the bow of the stranded Interislander ferry Aratere in Picton.

The ferry hit the South Island coastline just after 10pm on Friday, with the Maritime Union warning the failure could have been disastrous had it occurred in bad weather.

Forty-seven people - eight commercial truck drivers and 39 crew - spent the night on the grounded ferry, and by 10am yesterday had been onboard for nearly 13 hours. The drivers and 12 of the crew disembarked before 11am.

Divers were sent down earlier in the day to investigate the ship’s hull and gather more information about how badly the vessel had run aground.

Speaking after a briefing about the incident with Maritime NZ, KiwiRail, Interislander and port authorities yesterday afternoon, Transport Minister Simeon Brown said it was great there had been no loss of life and everyone onboard the ship was safe.

He said there were question marks about how a recently installed piece of equipment on Aretere had responded.

“It’s to do with how the rudders work. It is my understanding that they lost the ability to steer the ship.”

The stranded Interislander ferry Aratere, Picton in Marlborough Sounds.

The Minister said independent investigations were under way by Maritime NZ and Transport Accident Investigation Commission.

“A safe and reliable Cook Strait crossing is critical to New Zealand’s transport network which is why the Government is committed to making the investment required to support resilience shipping across the strait, including new ships.

“But we also have to get the right ships for the job and KiwiRail must maintain its existing ships to the safe standard required.”

He said when they came into Government they were “very disappointed” at the state of asset management.

“What we have seen happen is incredibly concerning.”

A kayaker paddles past the stranded Interislander ferry Aratere in Picton.

Brown said he had received advice from KiwiRail during recent months that the asset management was improving significantly.

He said the whole incident has been incredibly disappointing and concerning and now the appropriate thing to happen is the investigation to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Brown said the replacement of the Cook Strait ferries is a priority for the Government.

Reidy and Roy spoke to media at Picton Marina yesterday after the eight passengers onboard and 12 of the 39 crew had disembarked.

It’s believed the ferry ran aground on gravel seabed and not jagged rocks, Reidy said.

“But we are taking technical advice from global experts on the best way to recover the ship.”

While he wouldn’t talk about the disruption to the country caused by the incident, he said Cook Strait formed a part of State Highway 1 that traversed the entire country and provided a $40 billion connection for the country between the North and South islands.