Victor Billot: Maritime Union spokesperson suspects grounded Aratere ferry won't be back in service this year

Several inquiries are underway after a suspected steering problem saw the Interisland ferry Aratere run aground near Picton.

On Friday night, the ship became grounded.

It was re-floated successfully last night on the high tide.

Maritime Union spokesperson Victor Billot believes it could be a while before the ship is back sailing.

"They're going to have to look at the steering system, obviously, they're going to have to look the hull...it's going to be a long time."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks'd
be Victor.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good afternoon, Good afternoon, Sorry that I'm not sure what happens,
no worries.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hey, Look, we've got some serious issues to discuss. But
can I just check one little detail. In addition to
your role at the Maritime Union, are you also the poet?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Ah? Yes, I tried to keep the two the too separate,
and I do, but yes, that is correct. I can't
know that well, So.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, I just was because when I heard your name,
I thought, well, I've read it a few times in connection,
but I thought it's ringing a bell somewhere else. I
don't mean to be fack or anything, but I just
had to. It's not like your name is Dave Smith,
and it'd easily be someone else. True anyway, Look, actually,
I mean, can I ask have you written a poem
about the grounding of the oratary yet? Because it's got

(00:57):
to be some good material there.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, yes, there is, but I try to keep to
a little separate because you guess you could imagine might
get a bit of confusing if I was running running
them up against each other.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
I apologize, I apologize, but I just thought we'd get that. Now, look,
what was your what was your reaction to the grounding
of the ferry the other night.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well, the Union was we were obviously very concerned because
we've got our members aboard the ship and you know,
for a while there it was unfair what had actually
happened and what's going on. I guess it's sad to
stay though it wasn't, no, not really, because I mean,

(01:40):
this is the thing is that all the fairies, including
the rat theory, they're very old vessels, you know, for
for the type of environment they're operating in, and they
have had multiple issues. So it's just this was a
particularly serious and surprising one actually.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
Because there are so many different stakeholders than this. Of
course there's there's a transport. They are the businesses who
rely on their goods getting from A to B and
people who want to catch the ferry and of course
you're so is your is it fair to say your
main area of concern, as the union spokespersons, is really
about the safety of people on these vessels.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Well, it's about the safety of air members, but it's
also about the safety of course of the passengers. But
we do have an interest in naturally, you know, as
the Maritime Unions has a broader focus, we're actually interested
in these questions about the future of fairies and shipping
in New Zealand, and then we feel this is a
serious issue we're dealing with. You.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
What do you think of the response from Kiwi Rail's
Qui Ral, including the chief executive Peter Reedy, who said
it's a small mark on what has been a successful
year for the fairies. I would take my own family
on those ships right now, would you take your family?

Speaker 2 (02:56):
I think it's you know, it's one of those things
that they're in a very hard position because I mean
they're dealing with a very complicated not only commercial but
political environment and our purposes really as a ying and
we're very supportive of the theories, so we don't want
to kind of you know, we believe that they're just
operating in a sub standard way and it would be

(03:18):
fair to say it would be a mistake to lay
that all on the current leadership of Kiriral. It's a
kind of under investment over decades. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Actually also that I guess when the fairies are in
the media, it's usually because there's there's some trouble. But
do you think that creates does it create an unfair
impression of how they're going and putting acknowledging that there's
some challenges there.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Well, I think it's there's two things. There are problems
with the theories going on, and that has to be
there's no point trying to hide that or deny that.
And I think most people can see what the problems are.
But the flip side of it is we do need
those theories. So it's not a case of like the
faeries are terrible. It's a case of the ferries need

(04:03):
to be fixed, so that's the purpose, and we have
new theories that can actually do the job safely and efficiently.

Speaker 3 (04:09):
What do you know about that state of the art
steerings system that Peter ready referred to.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
All I know about it is that the vessel was
in maintenance and it was it had a major upgrade
to the steering system that did happen. Don't know what's happened,
but they're very complicated in specialist technology there. So once again,
part of the problem, maybe it's that they're having to

(04:35):
do all this work because the fairies themselves are so old.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Well, what do you as we know there was the
canceled purchase of those new fairies because of cost blowouts.
I guess what do you think needs to happen.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Now, Well, the Union always oppose the cancelation of the
i REX project. We believe some problems.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Sorry just fading out there, Victor.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
Oh sorry, We believe that although there was some problem
sort of the costs around the terminals, the fairies was fined,
we needed to have that Irex project go ahead because
what we're in the situation now is of having no
clear plan and fairies that are failing. But what we
understand is we've heard, we've got sources, and we understand

(05:23):
that the government is probably going to have to go
back in order new fairies at are much higher cost
than the original ones because there probably aren't any secondhand
ferries available. So stay tuned because I think we're going
to find we're a few more one hundred million in
the whole because of this whole situation.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
What's the problem with those other fairies was the infrastructure
and upgrading wharves. I mean, are there ferry options, including
new ferry options which wouldn't involve significant upgrades of import infrastructure.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
And wars I'm sure there are other, you know options.
The question is how you know? You just actually still
they still need will need to upgrade the terminals at
Wellington and Picton. I mean that you can't get around it.
I mean you can cancel something and to save money.
But the trouble is, what we're finding now is there

(06:15):
is a cost to not keeping things up running and
investing in the future. And we're paying that cost now
because the maintenance costs for the fairies, the outages. It's
all coming home to roost very quickly.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
So what's the maritime unions and what's your role from
here on with regard to the fairies.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
Well, I think we're just going to keep on making
the point as loud as we can that we need
new fairies for the sake of the workers, the passengers,
for the sake of the businesses in New Zealand that
need those need that connection, and we're going to keep
on advocating for that. And I think the trouble is
there's a lot of agendas floating around here at the
moment about the whole rail system, the ferry system, and

(06:59):
we just want to keep it as it is but
improve it. And so it's a good part of aaron
structure because we can't afford to you know, it basically
have the North and South Islands cut off from each other,
which is almost where we're at now.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Yeah, do you know do you have any understanding about
how long it's going to take to get the arditary
back back in service.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
No, but you can take it. There's going to be
several inquiries from different outfits. Is going to be. They're
going to have to look at the steering system obviously,
they're going to have to look at the hull integrity
and all that stuff. So it's going to be a
long time time.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
Well you mean a long time? Do you mean months
or many months or.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
Look, I genuinely don't know, but I don't think it's
going to be. We won't see it back in service
again this year, imagine.

Speaker 3 (07:47):
Oh well, and I apologize for raising your other career, Victor,
but I am looking forward to your next for your
next ode.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Okay, Oh well, I'm glad to hear. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
Okay, thank you. That's Victor Billet.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
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