Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Carl Findlay: Maritime Union NZ National Secretary on the Interislander ferries being deemed safe to run

Transcript

Carl Findlay: Maritime Union NZ National Secretary on the Interislander ferries being deemed safe to run · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And experts have found the aging inter Island of fleet
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: is in better condition than previously thought. The report found
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: no systemic issues are preventing their ferries from running until
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty nine, but it will cost an extra seven
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: million dollars each year in maintenance, bringing the total to
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: thirty six million annually. The Maritime Union is cautious of
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: the findings, pointing to several recent failures with the ships.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Cal Finlay is the Maritime Union from the Maritime Union
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: joins me, now, good morning, good to have you on
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the show. Do you are you not buying this report.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Right? And we accept the report, we're always saying as
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: with caution. You know that these aging vessels come with
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: problems and they're still not being addressed or the government
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: and what they're going to do in replacing them, because
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: they need to be replacing them. There's no getting away
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: from that. Mate.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Do you think they can carry on to twenty twenty nine?
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Though? Well it's not ideal, but I guess Jimmy Rail
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: have been put in impossible position where they need to
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: carry on and as you pointed out, they're spending all
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: this extra money on the maintenance just to keep them going.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: On a daily basis, which is which is not ideal
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: for anyone.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: The report says the kayatacky is in good to fear
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: condition in general. The chyato here is in good to
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: fear condition in general. The arditary, the one that grounded recently,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: is in good condition in general. Do you agree with
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the assessments?
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Well, you have to get you know, they say they've
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: got the top experts in you'd have to believe in
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: their assessment. But what I would say is that, you know,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Crewe welfare has to be a priority here, and I
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: think I think with the given history, they need to
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: have a very very clear, well fought out rescue plan
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: if something does decide to go go wrong.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: What do you do you think something could go wrong?
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: I mean, obviously it's at rest because especially when you've
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: got aging, aging vessels.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I'd just rather be prepared than the old,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: you know, story of the implants at the bottom of
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: the cliff sort of scenario.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: That button that was inadvertently pressed on the other teddy,
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: I mean, does that not show that perhaps it is
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: human failure there rather than vessel failure.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Look, I think we need to text it back mate,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: and just really wait for the report because obviously that's
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: really really serious and I've just sort of don't have
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: a poor, poor fuel on the fire. I'm going to
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: wait for the report to make any comments on that. Mate.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: That's fine, I understand and appreciate it. Cal, thank you
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: very much for your time this morning. Really appreciate it.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Cal Finlay is the Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: It is twenty three after five. Interestingly, in this report,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: it talks about the hull fatigue. The fatigue age of
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: the inter islander fleets steel hulls was less than a
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: quarter of the actual age of the ships, meaning they
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: are in really good condition. Why or the fairies don't
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: sail in really heavy seas to avoid discomfort to passengers
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: and livestock. This has reduced each vessel's exposure to extreme
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: waves that could have accelerated hull fatigue. So they're very
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: young for their age, almost like they've had a shot
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: of botox or something. Underneath, they're in good condition underneath,
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: but it's the mechanical side of it that seems to
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: be failing. For more from News Talks dB, listen live
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: on air or online and keep our shows with you
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: wherever you go with our podcasts on IR radio