Contract For New Ferry

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30442, 16 May 1964, Page 1

Contract For New Ferry

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 15. A contract to build a sister ship to the Cook Strait rail-road ferry Aramoana has been awarded to Messrs Vickers Armstrongs (Shipbuilders), Ltd., in the United Kingdom.

This was announced today by the Minister of Railways (Mr McAlpine) who said it was expected the new vessel would arrive in Wellington early in December, 1965, in time to take up running over the summer holiday season. The cost of the ship, including the voyage to New Zealand, would be about £2 million.

Mr McAlpine said the contract had been let after careful consideration of 17 tenders submitted from 11 shipbuilders in four different countries.

The new rail-road ferry will have the same general dimensions as the Aramoana and the same type of dieselelectric propulsion machinery giving a similar service speed of 17 knots. The ship will be equipped with a bow rudder, stabilisers to counteract rolling and the latest navigational aids.

The Minister said there would be only minor alterations to the vehicular deck and upper garage facilities, but several modifications would be made to the arrangement of the passenger accommodation as a result of

experience over the last 18 months. These modifications would include more shelter from wind and weather for passengers moving about the ship, lowering of the windows in the main observation lounge to improve the outlook for seated passengers, and the provision of a sun lounge and coffee bar aft of the funnel on the boat deck. As with the Aramoana, the maritime operation of the sister ship will be undertaken by the Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd., under an agreement with the Railways Department. It is expected the department will also negotiate with the company

for the maiden voyage of the vessel to Wellington. Raising of the bridge structure one deck higher on the new ship, as compared with the Aramoana, will enable the forward end of the boatdeck to be arranged as an enclosed forward observation gallery. This gallery will have stairway access from the main observation lounge below. The aft end of the main deck will be divided to provide lounge facilities accommodating 73 passengers in a lounge bar, 56 passengers in a smoke room, and 88 passengers in an aft observation lounge equipped with television.