An attempt to refloat the Interislander ferry Aratere grounded near Picton will take place at 9pm tonight now that passengers have disembarked the vessel and crews have been swapped over.
KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy and Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy fronted a press conference shortly after midday on Saturday, saying the first priority was the "safety and comfort" of customers and crew.
Aratere was travelling at a speed of three knots when it ran aground shortly after leaving Picton at 9.45pm on Friday due to a "steering issue".
Eight commercial vehicle drivers and 39 crew were on board at the time of the incident. Roy said the ferry is carrying commercial trucks and general freight.
Roy said work had been completed on the Aratere just three weeks ago to upgrade "a number of systems".
"We pre-emptively replaced the steering mechanism with a brand-new system."
Reidy said two diving operations had examined the ship and confirmed it was "nestled" in sand and mud, not jagged rocks.
He added KiwiRail was "pretty disappointed" with the grounding considering the amount of maintenance work that had been recently completed on the vessel.
Reidy also defended the reliability of the ferries, saying they've had "99.6 percent reliability" in the last six months.
"February, March, we had record passengers on board our ships.
"So, yes we are the best operator. Today though, let's get this ship back into berth and let's find out the root cause."
Last night's incident marked the latest in a series of incidents which have plagued the vessel in its 25 years crossing the Cook Strait.
Aratere was travelling at three knots when it ran aground shortly after leaving Picton on Friday night. (Source: 1News)
Coastguard Marlborough, Bluebridge Rescue and Port Marlborough Rescue are assisting with the re-floating by keeping other vessels away from an 500m "exclusion area".
During the press conference, there were shouts from Picton residents.
"Blame the Prime Minister for cancelling the new ferries," one man said.
The Government announced it would not provide much-needed further funding to replace the ageing fleet in December last year.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the cost of the Inter-Island Resilient Connection project (iReX) had quadrupled to approximately $3 billion.
"Ministers do not have confidence that there will not be further increases and are concerned about the continued significant cost blow-outs and the changing nature of the investment they are being asked to make."
The Maritime Union told RNZ it is startling to see how an Interislander ferry ran aground near Picton.
GPS imagery shows how the vessel has just peeled off course and run into the land, Maritime Union spokesperson Victor Billot said.
He says it is fortunate it was a freight-only voyage.
"If it had been a passenger sailing then it could have been more complicated.
"But we've still got a group of people aboard the vessel, most of them are the crew, a lot of them are Maritime Union members and members of other organisations.
"The passengers there I believe are drivers for the trucks."
Billot says Aratere carries rail freight and it's unclear what the grounding will mean for the inter-island connection.
Port Marlborough says the harbourmaster has set up an exclusion zone in the harbour and has been patrolling throughout the night.
Maritime New Zealand will investigate the cause of the crash.
Speaking to RNZ, MetService said the weather shouldn't hinder efforts to refloat the vessel.
Rain is expected to hit the area later this morning, according to meteorologist Clare O'Connor.
She said conditions are calm with no swells and light winds.
High tide was expected shortly after 9am.
Inquiry set to open
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is opening an inquiry into the incident, it has been confirmed.
Chief investigator of accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam, is appointing a team of investigators who will be on site later today.
"We’re gathering all the usual evidence and data for the start of this sort of investigation – including bridge voice and voyage data recordings and any video footage," said Kozhuppakalam.
"Our investigators will be inspecting the ship, seeking and recovering electronic records and interviewing vessel crew, port authorities, and witnesses.
"Getting the facts straight is vital, so we’re keen to hear from passengers on board – especially those who have relevant video footage."
The TAIC opens an inquiry when it believes the circumstances of an accident or incident have - or are likely to have - significant implications for transport safety, or when the inquiry may allow the Commission to make findings or recommendations to improve transport safety.
The Commission's purpose is to improve transport safety by avoiding repeat accidents, rather than by ascribing blame
Additional reporting by rnz.co.nz.
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