Alternative transport in place this Easter weekend for some ferry services because of maritime crew shortages Alternative transport in place this Easter weekend for some ferry services because of maritime crew shortages
Date: 5 April 2023
Auckland Transport (AT) and Fullers360 are advising customers that there will be alternative transport options in place this weekend for some ferry customers.
Due to a shortage of maritime crew, some Half Moon Bay and inner harbour loop services (Birkenhead, Bayswater and Te Onewa Northcote Point) are cancelled on Saturday 8 April and Sunday 9 April (Easter Sunday) and will be replaced by alternative transport.
There may be further delays to Waiheke Island, Hobsonville Point and Devonport services.
Saturday 8 April
Uber replacements will be provided for the following services:
Inner harbour loop (Bayswater, Northcote Point and Birkenhead) departing from Auckland Downtown Ferry Terminal:
- 11.40am
- 2.10pm
- 5:10pm
- 8:10pm
- 10:10pm
Return Bayswater services:
- 11:50am
- 2:20pm
- 5:20pm
- 8:20pm
- 10:20pm
Return Te Onewa Northcote Point services:
- 12:00pm
- 2:30pm
- 5:30pm
- 8:30pm
- 10:30pm
Return Birkenhead services:
- 12:05pm
- 2:35pm
- 5:35pm
- 8:35pm
- 10:35pm
Bus replacements will be provided for the following services:
Auckland - Half Moon Bay:
- 2:55pm
- 6:10pm
- 11:00pm
Half Moon Bay – Auckland:
- 3:45pm
- 7pm
- 12:45am
Sunday 9 April
Uber replacements will be provided for the following services:
Inner harbour loop (Bayswater, Northcote Point and Birkenhead) departing from Auckland Downtown Ferry Terminal:
- 11:40am
- 2:10pm
- 5:10pm
- 8:10pm
Return Bayswater services:
- 11:50am
- 2:20pm
- 5:20pm
- 8:20pm
Return Te Onewa Northcote Point services:
- 12:00pm
- 2:30pm
- 5:30pm
- 8:30pm
Return Birkenhead services:
- 12:05pm
- 2:35pm
- 5:35pm
- 8:35pm
Bus replacements will be provided for the following services:
Auckland - Half Moon Bay
- 2:55pm
- 6:10pm
Half Moon Bay – Auckland
- 3:45pm
- 7pm
Fullers360 Chief Operations Officer Paul Trotman says the cancellation of these services is a result of ongoing marine crew shortages and alternative transport options will be in place.
“Like other transport and tourism operators in New Zealand, Fullers360’s operations continue to be impacted by the ongoing shortage of skilled workers.
“Unfortunately, we simply do not have the number of skilled maritime crew available this Easter weekend to crew all our vessels. We are anticipating a busy weekend on the water and encourage customers to plan ahead and avoid travelling at peak times where possible.
“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience. We do everything we can to avoid disruptions, but in this instance it is unavoidable. We will provide travel updates as quickly as possible over the weekend and encourage customers to use the MyFerry app or go to fullers.co.nz for the latest information.”
Auckland Transport’s Group Manager of Metro Services Darek Koper says that the shortage of skilled maritime workers is being felt across the industry.
“We recognise that ferry operators are facing a challenging environment at present due to the ongoing skills shortage. We will continue to work closely with Fullers360 this weekend to minimise the impact of cancelled and disrupted services. We apologise to customers affected by these disruptions.”
Use the AT Journey Planner: AT.govt.nz/JourneyPlanner and the AT Mobile app to plan your journey.