Maritime authorities have launched an investigation after a ferry with dozens of people on board lost power in the Cook Strait late last night. 

Maritime NZ was alerted just before 10.30pm that the Strait NZ Bluebridge ferry, MV Connemara, had lost power about 3.7km off Sinclair Head. 

As a result, it started to drift south in what was described as moderate sea and weather conditions – away from the coast. A total of 88 people were on board. 

“There was no danger to the vessel, the people on board and the environment,” a Maritime NZ statement said. 

By 2am Friday, the tug boat Tapuhi was towing Connemara back to Wellington, and a second tug, Tiaki, was providing steerage. 

By 6am it was towed to Pipitea Wharf but all people remained on board. 

Authorities are now investigating the cause of the incident. 

“This will involve inspecting the ship, interviews, reviewing documents and gathering other information as required. 

“The vessel will remain alongside until it’s deemed safe to resume operations.” 

Both the privately owned Bluebridge and the state-owned Interislander have had engine failures in their ferries this year. 

In May, passengers on board a different Bluebridge ferry, Strait Feronia, were briefly plunged into darkness when their ship lost power coming into Wellington Harbour. 

In 2023, the Connemara hit a wharf while it was leaving Wellington, causing a “decent dent” on the hull and a “very small hole” above the waterline, Nalder said at the time. 

The vessel returned to port and passengers were able to disembark safely. The Connemara underwent repairs and was back in service later that day. 

Interislander ferries have also been plagued by issues in recent months – most notably the grounding of the Aratere near Picton in June. 

The ferry, which was on a crew-only sailing, ran aground after a staff member mistakenly changed its course. 

– with RNZ