Representing New Zealand maritime workers since 2002
The Maritime Union has welcomed today’s announcement from Minister of Rail Winston Peters the two new Cook Strait ferries will be publicly owned and rail enabled, meaning that they can carry rail wagons.
Read MoreSign the petition for public owned, rail enabled ferries for Cook Strait.
Read MoreThe power loss of the Bluebridge ferry Connemara in the Cook Strait highlights the importance of a resilient publicly-owned interisland ferry service
Read MoreThe Manahau barge grounding at Westport could have led to a disaster, but crew are being prevented from talking to Union representatives.
Read MoreThe cause of the grounding has yet to be confirmed, but the difficult local conditions at Westport including recent poor weather would be obvious issues to consider.
Read MoreThe cancellation cost for the iRex ship build is likely to come in at more than NZ $300 million, and could run up to a maximum cost approaching a half a billion dollars (NZD) at current rates.
Read MoreThe loss of a New Zealand operated coastal freighter and up to 40 jobs (including 14 seafarers) due to the economic downturn threatens the viability and resilience of our supply chain.
Read MoreThe latest development in the ferry saga is a suggestion KiwiRail might exit the Cook Strait ferries altogether.
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