The Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground near Picton late last night due to a "steering issue", marking the latest in a series of incidents that have plagued the vessel in its 25 years of crossing the Cook Strait.
As of last night, Interislander general manager Duncan Roy confirmed the Picton harbour master was on board working with the crew.
A 1News reporter at the scene said while the boat was on a decent angle it looked to be in good condition.
It is understood a refloat attempt may be made around high tide around 9pm on Saturday.
The Aratere has a colourful past — with mechanical problems starting the day after its first sailing (Source: 1News)
When the $100 million-plus Spanish-built ferry first entered service in 1999, it had so many issues it was dubbed "El Lemon" by the crew.
In fact, problems occurred before Aratere even entered service.
Fuses blew, the starboard propulsion system failed and several delays occurred during its delivery voyage from the Spanish city of Vigo.
In February 1999, soon after entering service, Aratere passed Point Halswell in Wellington Harbour en route to Picton when it suffered several power failures that left it adrift.
The emergency backup generator also failed, according to a Transport Accident Investigation Commission report.
Aratere collided with a fishing vessel while docking in Wellington in July 2003.
Three crew were on board the San Domenico and narrowly made it to safety when the 183 metre vessel struck, causing extensive damage to the smaller boat and Aotea Quay.
In September 2004, in the space of less than a month, the ship came within 80 to 90 metres of grounding itself on a rock in the Tory Channel and cut off the ferry Kent while both were entering Wellington Harbour.
Four passengers and one crew member suffered minor injuries in March 2006 after heavy weather caused some of the rail and vehicular cargo aboard the Aratere to shift.
This resulted in the Aratere developing a list of about 5 degrees to starboard, which the crew could not reduce until the ship arrived in Picton.
TAIC concluded that although the ship's safety was "unlikely to be compromised", the suddenness and extent of the rolls were "uncomfortable" for those on board.
A fatigue fracture caused the Aratere's starboard propeller to break off during a sailing in November 2013.
The ship was able to complete the trip to Wellington with 153 passengers and crew aboard using just its port propulsion system.
An electrical fault caused the Aratere to briefly break down in the Cook Strait and drift while en route to Picton in February 2023.
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