Photo: Screenshot / MarineTraffic
Passengers stuck on an Interislander ferry for more than six hours have finally been allowed to disembark.
The Kaiārahi experienced steering problems during its voyage across the Cook Strait to Picton on Friday.
Wellington harbourmaster Grant Nalder said the ferry left Wellington at about 3:30pm, but turned back from entering Tory Channel.
"As they were approaching Tory Channel and did their regular checks, they found something was behaving oddly with the steering.
"They didn't go through Tory Channel, just went out into Cook Strait to test what it was. After doing that, they decided they were going to return to Wellington.
"It's a technical problem with the steering, but they still have full control of the wheel. They're just taking a prudent approach."
He said the ship had been slowly heading back to Wellington Harbour since about 8pm.
"There will be checks done before it returns to service."
KiwiRail confirmed the ship berthed back in Wellington at 10.05pm, allowing passengers to finally get off the ferry.
The Interislander ferry, Kaiārahi. Photo: Interislander
Appropriate authorities notified - Interislander boss
Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said technical staff based in Wellington would be investigating the problem.
"The issue became apparent as part of standard procedures prior to entering Tory Channel and the return to Wellington was decided on as a safety precaution rather than sailing through the Sounds," he said.
"The appropriate authorities have been notified, and we will work with our passengers and freight customers to reschedule them."
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