Interislander's Kaiarahi ferry was this afternoon forced to return to Wellington following a medical emergency onboard.
It had just left Wellington Harbour en route to Cook Strait when it was forced to turn back around to the capital, Interislander said on social media this afternoon.
"This will mean delays to Kaiarahi sailings through the rest of the day. We will advise on sailing times as soon as possible," Interislander said.
A Wellington Free Ambulance crew "met the ferry when it docked and transported one patient to Wellington Hospital in a moderate condition", a spokesperson confirmed to 1News.
It comes after Interislander's Kaitaki ferry lost power and dropped its anchors in the Cook Strait, southwest of Sinclair Head, before triggering a mayday on January 31.
It was followed by the Interislander's Aratere, which broke down as it approached the Tory Channel last Monday. The ferry was left adrift before regaining power later that evening, after which it went through a longer alternate route through Queen Charlotte Sound to reach Picton.
Interislander said earlier today that the Kaitaki ferry "is to remain as a freight only service until at least Friday this week" to free up its larger vessels for passengers whose bookings were impacted by the Kaitaki cancellations.
"We are moving a lot of freight bookings from the Aratere and Kaiarahi to Kaitaki and the Valentine to free up more space for passengers and their vehicles," Interislander said.
"We have bookings for around 5000 people and 1500 cars this week that are affected by the Kaitaki cancellations that we are trying to reschedule.
"If you are booked on the Kaitaki we are doing our best to move your bookings to Aratere and Kaiarahi sailings."
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