200 passengers stranded on Bluebridge ferry overnight

A problem with a Bluebridge ferry has left passengers stranded, with some spending the night berthed in Wellington harbour.

The Connemara 8.30pm sailing from Wellington to Picton had to return to Wellington shortly after departure following the discovery of a fault with the ramp.

StraitNZ Bluebridge spokesperson Will Dady said crew were working with specialist crane operators to lower the ramp which was taking time, resulting in passengers and freight remaining on the vessel overnight.

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"We're doing everything we can to make the 200 passengers onboard as comfortable as possible accommodating them in cabins as available and serving refreshments, but we acknowledge that it is a huge inconvenience for everyone."

An RNZ reporter at the scene said the ramp was down by 10am, with vehicles due to come off shortly.

By late morning passengers had disembarked.

Passengers spent about 15 hours stuck onboard.

One passenger told RNZ they had to cancel their trip to the South Island as a result of the disruption.

Others were reasonably relaxed and told RNZ the ferry company had given them places to sleep and food and drink.

Several said they have rebooked onto another crossing at about around 2am tomorrow.

Alaina said it was a long time on the boat. She said they'd had a great holiday in the North Island, but now, "we just want to go home."

James said the crew were really good at communicating with the passengers.

"Was a bit of a shock to just suddenly get a cancellation whilst you're on the ferry but it was alright."

Some tourists visiting New Zealand from Germany said they had have had to change their plans as a result of the disruption.

"We wanted to go to the South Island to Abel Tasman and we had to cancel that now."

The tourists said at first passengers been told there would be a delay of about two hours, then it kept getting pushed out further.

Oliver and Angus from Christchurch said they had been supposed to do some diving when they got to Nelson but were relaxed about the situation.

The Connemara also lost power during a sailing in September 2024 due to contaminated fuel, leaving it drifting for more than two hours and needing a rescue from tug boats.

Dady said Bluebridge apologised "unreservedly" to everyone affected and will work with each passenger to refund and reschedule.

"We are also adding an additional sailing of the Livia this evening to accommodate these passengers," he said.

Dady said the company was extremely disappointed to have experienced a mechanical issue during peak travel period and was working as quickly as possible to get up and running again.

"Unfortunately there is a flow on effect of having to cancel sailings at this time of year but we want our customers to know we are doing everything we can to get them across the Strait as soon as possible."

'Boring' night on vessel

Petra Clarke told RNZ it had been a "long and boring" night onboard.

She said passengers were told at check-in that there was a problem but it could be fixed, only to be told once the ferry had left the harbour that there was problem with the ramp and it had to turn back.

"We got out just into open water, and the boat kind of stopped and they sort of seemed to be turning in lots of different directions. And then eventually they said yeah, there's a problem with the ramp, or the winch that operates the ramp, we're going to have to go back into Wellington to try and fix it, which was weird because I don't know why they would be testing the ramp and the winch in open water."

StraitNZ Bluebridge later clarified the problem identified ahead of sailing was separate from the issue with the ramp.

Clarke said there were eight cabins available for people onboard, so most were sleeping in the kitchen or on a recliner.

"But nobody got much sleep, because we kept getting announcements every couple of hours telling us about a lack of progress," she said.

"Nobody was able to go down to their cars to get stuff, so you know, kind of slept in shorts and it was pretty cold. And people who had dogs couldn't go down and see their dogs until the morning either."

She praised the staff onboard, who put on a free breakfast for passengers, and was relieved there would be an extra sailing on the Livia at 2am on Saturday to accommodate the backlog.

Passenger says he's now stranded

Greg Brunton was supposed to be on the Friday afternoon sailing out of Picton, but received an email at 1am saying that the sailing was cancelled.

Brunton, who is travelling in his RV, said he was unable to get a booking until next month.

"I was told that this is, basically the short of it, not their problem. Their responsibility ends at advising us that the ferry has now been cancelled, and it's now my responsibility to find my next way home, essentially stranding us."

Brunton was travelling with a guest visiting from the United States, who had flights to catch. He said they could drive down to Christchurch and fly out, but that still left the question of what to do with the RV.

"I am essentially in the middle of transit in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar accommodation, and their solution is basically to say 'not our problem' and deal with it for a month. No one would come down here willingly, not knowing their time of return."

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