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Danish ship design Down Under: OSK-ShipTech to design two new ferries for KiwiRail, New Zealand

OSK-ShipTech appointed naval architect on KiwiRail's new rail-enabled ferries

Danish naval architects OSK-ShipTech A/S have signed a newbuilding contract with state-owned KiwiRail for the design and development of the next generation rail-enabled ferries for the busy Cook Strait route between New Zealand's North and South Islands.

The new ferries will strengthen and enhance the vital transport link between capitol Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island. Currently, operating company Interislander is operating a fleet of three ferries - two RoPax ferries and one train ferry.

"We are extremely happy to have entered into this collaboration with KiwiRail for their two new rail-enabled ferries. This contract underlines the market position of OSK-ShipTech globally and our wide expertise in passenger ferry design," says Anders Ørgård, Chief Commercial Officer of OSK-ShipTech.

He continues: "As part of the project, new terminals tailored to the vessels will also be developed in order to optimise the infrastructure and fully benefit of the new designs. We are of course very excited to be part of this holistic project and the continued development for KiwiRail in the region."
The new train ferries are targeted for delivery in 2024.
 
En illustrasjon til på desse
200528-3-KiwiRail.jpg

Illustrasjon: OSK-ShipTech A/S
 

Interislander signs up for a new era of Cook Strait ferries


The Interislander’s two new ferries will be a game-changer for New Zealand, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller says.

KiwiRail and Korean shipyard Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) have now signed a binding contract for the delivery of two new, state-of-the-art, Cook Strait ferries. The first will arrive in 2025 and the second in 2026. The contract price for the two ferries is USD$369 million (NZ$551m).
Mr Miller says he was delighted to sign the contract for two new ferries with HMD after years of research and planning, a robust and lengthy procurement process, and productive technical and commercial negotiations with the shipyard over the last four months.

“KiwiRail has been working on the ferry upgrade project for years and signing this contract with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard is a momentous day for us at KiwiRail and our shipping operation, the Interislander. These new ferries will deliver something really special for our business and for New Zealand, our passengers, freight customers and our hard-working teams.

“The new ferries will ensure a safe and resilient rail and passenger service between the North and South Islands, which is a vital part of the economy and a key part of New Zealand’s supply chain, transport and tourism infrastructure,” he says.

Interislander operates around 3800 ferry services a year, transporting about 850,000 passengers, 250,000 cars and billions of dollars worth of freight, and with significant growth predicted.

“With an ageing fleet of ships coming to the end of their working lives, this replacement programme had become time critical, so it’s great news that we are now able to move ahead with the next stage of design and the build of the two new ferries, and required port infrastructure,” Mr Miller says.

“The new ferries will deliver a major improvement in KiwiRail’s performance in all areas, including contributing to a 40 per cent reduction in Interislander’s carbon emissions immediately. They are also future-proofed through smart design to deliver more carbon reduction over time,” he says.

The new ferries will offer more choice of onboard services including accommodation, entertainment and food and beverages for passengers and freight drivers.

The two, rail-enabled ferries, when running at full operating capacity, will be able to carry nearly double the number of passengers, and commercial and passenger vehicles when compared with the current fleet.

The rail freight capacity will triple. The only currently rail-enabled ferry Aratere can carry a maximum of 27, sixty-foot equivalent wagons per sailing. The two new rail-enabled ships will be able to carry 40, sixty-foot equivalent wagons per vessel on up to three return sailings each per day. That is a 300 per cent increase in capacity at peak.

Also forming part of the $1.45 billion ferry upgrade project, the terminal infrastructure at Kaiwharawhara in Wellington and Waitohi Picton will be improved to meet modern standards and to accommodate the new ferries when they arrive.

“We are progressing well with the designs for the terminal redevelopments in both Waitohi Picton and at Kaiwharawhara in Wellington.

This is a nationally important project which will require the ongoing support and partnership between central and local Government, KiwiRail and port operators Port Marlborough and CentrePort for its successful delivery.”

“I want to acknowledge the Government and our Ministers in supporting KiwiRail in this deal which will secure the vital State Highway One and Main Trunk Railway link between the North and South Islands for future generations,” Mr Miller says.

Kilde: Pressemelding
Interislander 01.jpg

Interislander 02.jpg
Illustrasjoner: via rederiet
 
A catastrophy ! These very nice big ferry-newbuildings are suddenly canceled !
1st Steel-cutting was planned for jan. 2024 - and now the project is dead because of too high costs for the state of New Zealand !


What now ???
The actually fleet is old, has had often technical problems - not without risk in this rough sea-area - and capacities are too small for the growing and growing numbers of travellers. Competing Bluebridge has already replaced a ferry with another with double-capacity last year, but is still mostly full-booked. Interislander has tried it with additional charter of old trailerferries for to have more space on the other ferries for cars, coaches and motorhomes.
 
Hello, very interresting news.
Perhaps, they will order or buy one "standard" ropax and a reduced sized railferry.
There has also been a lot of critisism because of the size, the new ferries would have been the biggest ever on the short, but known for heavy sea conditions.
 
New Zealand has a new right-wing government which I think is reviewing many of the decisions of the old government.
 
NOW the contract with the yard is definitely CANCELLED !
After in the last weeks it was "on hold" only. They are just only in discuss anymore about fees for design, preparing-costs etc. .

And: They are contacting now international shipbrokers for to replace the old fleet with bigger modern used ferries !

So we have now 2 interesting questions:
A) Which used big ferries are NOW for sale (or very-long-term-charter) and are bigger (they have since longer time capacity-problems with all customer-groups) and younger than the actually 3 old ferries from 1995-1998 ?

B) The yard has had everything prepared for to start building these ferries NOW, first steel-cut was planned for end january 2024, space in yard is still free just for to build these ferries now ! So theoretic could now every other ferry-company come and "take over" one or both of these planned ferries - with the advantage of fast delivery (to expect in 2 years instead of 3 years or longer) - and maybe get a good price because the yard has really a problem now.

To A)
930 Pax, 358 cars, from 2002 - could replace the relative small Aratere

1500 Pax, 2500 lm, from 2016 - could replace the Kaiarahi (sister from Finnbo Cargo and Isle of Inisheer)

Furthermore from 2001 - 2005 for 40 - 75 Mio. price-idea for sale:
Bithia, Janas, Sharden, Moby Aki, Moby Wonder, Superfast 5, Superfast 11, Moby Tommy
And the both Superfasts 3 and 4 from Australia, but these both could be difficult in media etc. to explain why they replace ferries from 1998 with other ferries from 1998 - even if these both are much better, bigger and a few years ago massive renovated.
So one of these ca. 10 available big ferries could replace the Kaitaki (former Isle of Innisfree from 1995).
Or also 2 or 3 of these bigger European ferries could replace the old fleet. but younger then 2 x 2005 and 1 x 2002 is then not possible.

Then all 3 "new" used ferries would have bigger car, truck and Pax capacity then the 3 older ferries which have had often technical problems in the last years.

To B)

Less than 170 Mio. Euro (the old contract-price was 369 Mio. US Dollar for both together) for a real big 220m x 31m 1910 Pax ferry with delivery-time only 2 years would be today a good deal for f.ex. TT Line or Irish Ferries or f.ex. Eckerö or Viking Line (short Tallinn-route) - but i doubt that any ferry-company will see this special-offer-chance fast now.
 
No - i don`t think so. I guess they will hold the only one rail-car-ferry until they have a newer and bigger one with rails.
But there are no younger ferries available with rails onboard. Stenas Rostock-Trelleborg ferries are not for sale - and are also from the 90ies.
Similar with Stena Jutlandica, if i remember right she has also rails onboard.

So maybe one younger used ferry could be rebuilt with railway-tracks for relative low costs ?
So f.ex. the Moby Aki from 2005 ?
Then they would have a much bigger, much more comfortable and 10 years younger railway-ferry than today.
 
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