The Cook Strait ferry, the Aratere, lost one of its two propellers when sailing to Wellington from Picton. A shaft broke and the propeller fell into the sea.
New Zealand Rail has 3 Cook Strait ferries which sail across the sea between the North and South Islands. They carry cargo in containers or on railway wagons, trucks, cars and passengers. The trip takes 3 and a half hours.
It is not possible to find a replacement ship in a hurry so the Arahura and the Kaitaki will have to sail more frequently. The Aratere is the biggest ferry and can carry 670 passengers. The busiest time of year is the summer holiday season. Usually it carries a total of 58,000 passengers in December and January. It is possible that some people will have to cancel their holiday.
The Aratere was a new ship in 1999, costing $106m, but has had many problems such as engine failure, broken gear box and difficulties with wild weather. Cook Strait often experiences very strong winds. In 2011, the ship was sent to Singapore to extend it by 30m. The ship was cut in half and a new middle section was added at a cost of $54m. However, it has continued to have problems. Some of the crew call it a “lemon”. (A new car which has many mechanical problems is called a lemon.)
Vocabulary
- strait (n) – narrow stretch of water between two islands
- ferry (n and v) – boat which crosses water e.g. a lake, river or strait carrying passengers, cars or cargo
- propeller (n) – blades which spin and push the water in the right direction; to propel (v)
- shaft (n) – long thin piece of metal which holds the propeller
- cargo (n) – freight, goods
- extend (v) – make bigger (extension n)
- lemon (n) – a sour fruit