Wharf Damage By Aramoana

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31136, 12 August 1966, Page 14

Wharf Damage By Aramoana

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 10. The Aramoana has seriously damaged her Wellington wharf six times and her Picton wharf twice since going into service four years ago.

Two of the mishaps in Wellington caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. The first serious accident at Picton occurred four years ago tomorrow on the Aramoana’s first trip when she hit the Waitohi wharf. The ves-

sei again bumped Picton wharf less than a month later. All the accidents involving the ferry in Wellington have occurred in reasonable conditions and during the day. The most serious accident was in September last year when a broken passenger jetty dolphin cost almost £6OOO to repair. Another incident involved broken stern buffers—which have suffered most damage in the accidents —and a cracked abutment. The cost of repairs was more than £3OOO. The total cost of repairs in Wellington has been almost £lO.OOO. A Wellington Harbour Board engineer, Mr M. I. Tremain, told a harbour engineers’ conference in Wellington today that a series of fender dolphins should extend from the passenger jetty to make it almost the same length as the mooring jetty. “If the fender dolphins diverged from the line of the mooring jetty the ship would make an easier entry and the master could reduce to a reasonable berthing speed at a considerable distance from the stern buffers,” he said.