Ferry tender decision soon?

Press, 12 November 1981, Page 27

Ferry tender decision soon?

PA Wellington The Government may have a recommendation by the end of the year on where a new Cook Strait rail ferry should be built. Thirteen shipbuilders from 10 countries are seeking the contract to build a new ferry which will be bigger than any of the existing ferries. Government officials of departments such as Railways. Treasury, and Trade and Industry are evaluating the tenders for the Ara 5 contract. It is thought that the officials may make a recommendation to the Government within the next two months on which tender should be accepted. There are no New Zealand tenderers for the contract which could be worth more than $4O million, but big ship-building countries such as Japan, Germany. Korea. Singapore. Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom are believed to be chasing the contract. It is believed that some of the tenderers have offered very competitive prices, but big equipment contracts of this kind can be very complicated with specification, de-

livery date.' and trade-off arrangements flaying an important role. Code-named Ara 5. the new ferry has been designed to carry 800 passengers, 132 cars, and 60 rail waggons. The Ara 5 is being sought to replace the Aramoana, the oldest of the Cook Strait ferries, which was built in Scotland in 1962 and later refitted at Singapore. Of the other rail ferries, the Aranui was built in the United Kingdom and later refitted in New Zealand, the Arahanga was built in the United Kingdom, and the Aratika in France. The design drawings for Ara 5 call for the use of diesel electric propulsion. She will have a gross tonnage of 8000 tonnes, compared with 4344 for the Aramoana. She will be 137 metres long and 19.7 metres wide, making her 18 metres longer and 1.2 metres wider than the Aratika, the most modern of the ferries, which was built as a freight ferry and later converted to carry passengers as well. Once an order is placed for a new ferry, construction is expected to take two years.