Ika Rere has been out of action since July last year. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
An electric ferry which has sat idle in Wellington's harbour for the past nine months should return to service next month.
Ika Rere - operated by East by West Ferries - has been out of action since July 2024, when a mechanical fault stopped the vessel from making its scheduled trips across Wellington Harbour.
The ferry has been parked up at Queen's Wharf ever since.
It was originally hoped the ferry would get back to work in October, but the replacement parts were in Europe and there was a hold-up with the suppliers.
The replacement components arrived in the country two weeks ago.
East by West general manager Mat Jonsson said the parts had been subject to fabrication and shipping delays.
"East By West is completing final tasks on Ika Rere, before sea-trials and recommissioning over the coming weeks," Jonsson said.
"We're grateful for our passengers' patience and to avoid reoccurrences, we are taking the time to ensure the reinstallation is as comprehensive as possible," he said.
Jonsson said they aimed to have Ika Rere return to service by mid-May.
This is not the first problem the Ika Rere has had. In September 2022 it lost power in the middle of a sailing and a police boat had to take passengers back to shore.
The power failure came just months after the ferry was launched in March.
At that time it also took the mantel of first electric passenger ferry in the Southern Hemisphere.
But Wellington also isn't the only city embracing electric ferries. Earlier this year Fullers360 added the 10-seater high-speed electric hydrofoiling vessel Vessev VS-9 to its fleet in a first step towards decarbonising.
Two electric ferries are being built at the McMullen & Wing shipyard in Auckland for Auckland Transport, with the first ferry expected to be handed over this year.
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