KAIARAHI seen departing Wellington, New Zealand. 16/01/2016

KAIARAHI operates on a scheduled service across New Zealand's Cook Strait, between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island.

KAIARAHI is owned by the Swedish company Stena RoRo. Since November 2013, she has been chartered to the Interislander service twice.

On her first charter, she was placed on the Cook Strait run as the STENA ALEGRA from the 13th of January to the 28th of June 2014, to replace the damaged Interislander ferry ARATERE.

During her first week of service, she had the misfortune of developing engine failure while in Wellington Harbour. Her Cook Strait service was later followed by other troubles such as hitting a wharf in Wellington while berthing (thus developing a 6-metre gash in her hull above the waterline) and losing 1 metre off one of her propeller blades while crossing the Cook Strait.

On the 9th of December, 2014, a controversial decision was made by KiwiRail (the parent company of Interislander) to charter the vessel again – this time on a long-term charter (5 years) to replace the now scrapped ARAHURA on the Cook Strait service.

In 2015, the ferry was modified in Singapore to make her more suitable for the Cook Strait service. Upgrades included the addition of retractable stabilisers, engine equipment upgrades, advanced navigation equipment, enhanced lifesaving equipment and new gangway access.

She entered the Cook Strait service for the second time in late September, 2015 under her new name (KAIARAHI) along with Interislander livery.

KAIARAHI

1998-2005: DAWN MERCHANT
2005-2006: EUROPAX APPIA
2006-2008: PAU CASALS
2008-2009: AVE LUEBECK
2009-2010: T-REX
2010-2013: NORMAN TRADER
2013-2015: STENA ALEGRA
2015-Present: KAIARAHI

Type: Ro-Pax Ferry
Flag: UK | Port of Registry: London | Call Sign: MYIL6
IMO: 9147291 | MMSI: 232197000
Owner: Stena RoRo – Gothenburg, Sweden | Operator: Interislander - Wellington, New Zealand
Year Built: 1998 | Country of Build: Spain | Builder: Astilleros Españoles S.A. (AESA) | Location of Yard: Seville
Keel Laid: 15.04.1997 | Launch: February 1998 | Date of Completion: 1.09.1998 | Maiden Voyage: October 1998
LOA: 179.93 m | LPP: 168.7 m | Breadth: 25.24 m | Depth: 14.90 m | Draught: 6.5 m
GT: 22,152 | NT: 6,645 | DWT: 7,360
Passenger Capacity: 550 | Car and Truck Capacity: 1,950 lane metres
Decks: 9
Stabilisers: 2 x Mitsubishi MR-2 7m2 Fin Stabilisers
Engines: 4 x 4-stroke Wärtsilä 9L38 engines, each producing 5940 kW @ 600 rpm
Auxiliary Engines: 2 x Wärtsilä 6L20 auxiliary engines of 930 kW each
Shaft Generators: 4 x Indar shaft generators - two per gearbox delivering 1,750 kVA and 800 kVA
Propellers: 2 x Wärtsilä-Wichmann controllable pitch propellers
Rudders: 2 x Becker high lift rudders
Thrusters: 2 x Brunvoll 1,300 kW bow thrusters
Speed: 22.5 knots (restricted to 15 knots in the Marlborough Sounds)

Sister Ships:

AQUARIUS BRASIL - IMO: 9147306
ZURBARAN - IMO: 9181091
EUROPEAN ENDEAVOUR - IMO: 9181106

Similar Ship:

DRUJBA - IMO: 9237242