Shane McMahon: Strait NZ CEO on Bluebridge’s new Cook Strait ferry Livia arriving in Wellington

Bluebridge's new ferry arrived in Wellington this morning, drawing in the crowds at Oriental Bay.

The Livia is from Denmark - and it can hold more than 400 passengers, with a 10 percent increase in vehicle capacity.

Strait NZ CEO Shane McMahon says the vessel will come into service at the end of the month - and it's an 'exciting' development.

"We've invested well over $200 million in the new fleet over the last three years, and we're doing that because obviously, we want to be able to supply safe, reliable services."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Blue Bridge's new ship has arrived in Wellington. It took
six weeks. It sailed all the way from Denmark. Shane
McMahon is the CEO of Straight in Z which is
the owner of blue Bridge and with us nowhy Shane.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Did I hear that? How you doing?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm well, thank you? How you doing? That was quite
a fuss for its arrival, wasn't it?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
It was? And I'm just looking out the window. So
vessel arrived just before nine this morning. We've taken on
about six hundred thousand meters of fuel today and I'm
just watching her birth for the first time at Glasgow Wharf.
So it's been a very exciting day.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Shane. You announced in March that you'd bought it, but
how long had it taken to get to that point
of actually buying it and announcing it.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We had sign off from our board two days prior
to Christmas that we had the green light to saurce
a replacement for the Straight Fernia, so it's really been
seven months from where to go. But I would say
we've got very very good, deep relationships with other operators
up in Europe, and I think that's the reason we've

(01:03):
been able to move so quickly here.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
So can you explain why it takes you seven months
from the minute that you go, okay, we're going to
buy it. We've got permission to buyership. Let's buyership. From
that point to the ship arriving, it takes you seven months.
And it's twenty months since we canceled the last lot
for Key we Roll. We still haven't bought anything.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, I mean we talk about this a lot as
a team. You know, we can't control what our competitor does.
All we can do is focus on what it is
that we do to make the service better for our customers.
So it has been it's been an enormous effort from
the team to get the vessel in here. Today we're

(01:43):
still not there. We've got the next twenty days. We've
got a lot of work crew familiarizations and safety checks
and what have you, and then the vessel will come
into service on the twenty third of July. I think
you know, as a business, we're a private business. We've
invested well over two hundred million new fleet over the

(02:04):
last three years, and we're doing that because obviously we
want to be able to supply safe, reliable services. We're
also trying to push and grow capacity on cook straight.
So when we bought the Kindomar and two years ago,
that increased capacity by thirty five percent, and when Olivia
comes in and what is it three weeks time, we'll

(02:25):
have another ten percent uplift in capacity.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Is your vessel Bortle least we purchased it is brought
so it is a straight comparison then, So just one
final question on this. When the guys the officials said, hey,
there told us this is re key, we rail there
are no secondhand vessels available in the world. That's obviously
not true because you just bought one.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yep, the Olivia is a second and vessel. She's been
flying her trade between Latvia and Germany and we're just
super excited to be getting her into service.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
All Right, you've just really made a case for why
we might need to partially privatize k e ale. I
really appreciate it, at least the fairy business. Shane McMahon
straight in zid.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
CEO for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
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