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Alternative transport in place this weekend for some ferry trips as a result of maritime crew shortages Alternative transport in place this weekend for some ferry trips as a result of maritime crew shortages

Date: 24 March 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 critical shortage of maritime crew, all Half Moon Bay and inner harbour loop services (Birkenhead, Bayswater and Te Onewa Northcote Point) are cancelled this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, and will be replaced by alternative transport.

There may be further delays to Waiheke Island, Hobsonville Point and Devonport services.

Saturday 25 March

Bus replacements will be provided for the following:

  • 09:55 AKL – HMB & 10:45 HMB - AKL
  • 12:25 AKL – HMB & 13:15 HMB - AKL
  • 14:55 AKL – HMB & 15:45 HMB – AKL

Uber or taxi replacements will be provided for the following:

  • 0740 AKL – HMB & 0830 HMB -AKl
  • 1810 AKL – HMB & 1900 HMB -AKL
  • 2300 AKL – HMB & 2345 HMB-AKL

Sunday 26 March

Bus replacements will be provided for the following:

  • 09:55 AKL – HMB & 10:45 HMB - AKL
  • 12:25 AKL – HMB & 13:15 HMB - AKL
  • 14:55 AKL – HMB & 15:45 HMB - AKL

Uber or taxi replacements will be provided for the following:

  • 0740 AKL – HMB & 0830 HMB-AKL
  • 1810 AKL – HMB & 1900 HMB-AKL

Inner harbour loop services (Birkenhead, Bayswater and Te Onewa Northcote Point) will be replaced by a taxi or Uber service. 

Fullers360 CEO Mike Horne says the cancellation of these services is a last resort and that alternative transport options will be in place.

“Fullers360, alongside all transport and tourism operators in New Zealand, has been faced with the challenge of running ferry services during the peak summer season with a critical shortage of skilled employees. Cancelled services are always a last resort for our business. Unfortunately, we simply do not have the number of staff available this weekend to crew our vessels on these routes. We anticipate these cancellations will be a one-off due to higher levels of staff sickness and necessary staff leave.

“We sincerely apologise to all impacted customers for the inconvenience. We do everything we can to avoid disruptions, but in this instance it is unavoidable. Our team will continue to provide updates as quickly as possible over the weekend regarding any unplanned service disruptions. I encourage those to travelling on our services to Devonport, Hobsonville Point and Waiheke this week to download the MyFerry app or visit fullers.co.nz for updates.”

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 any customers affected by these disruptions.” 

Use the AT Journey Planner: www.AT.govt.nz/JourneyPlanner and AT Mobile app to plan your journey.