The Connemara 8.30pm sailing from Wellington to Picton had to return to the capital shortly after departure yesterday, following the discovery of the fault.
StraitNZ Bluebridge spokesman Will Dady said today crew worked with specialist crane operators to lower the ramp which took time, resulting in passengers and freight remaining on the vessel overnight.
"We're doing everything we can to make the 200 passengers onboard as comfortable as possible accommodating them in cabins as available and serving refreshments - but we acknowledge that it is a huge inconvenience for everyone," he said this morning.
An RNZ reporter at the scene said the ramp was down by 10am and people were disembarking.
Bluebridge apologised "unreservedly" to everyone affected and would work with each passenger to refund and reschedule, Dady said.
"We are also adding an additional sailing of the Livia this evening to accommodate these passengers."
The company was extremely disappointed to have experienced a mechanical issue during peak travel period and worked as quickly as possible to get up and running again, he said.
"Unfortunately there is a flow-on effect of having to cancel sailings at this time of year but we want our customers to know we are doing everything we can to get them across the [Cook] Strait as soon as possible."
The Connemara also lost power during a sailing in September 2024 due to contaminated fuel, leaving it drifting for more than two hours and needing a rescue from tug boats.
'Boring' night on vessel
Petra Clarke told RNZ it had been a "long and boring" night onboard the ferry.
She said passengers were told at check-in that there was a problem but it could be fixed, only to be told once the ferry had left Wellington harbour that there was problem with the ramp and it had to turn back.
"We got out just into open water, and the boat kind of stopped and they sort of seemed to be turning in lots of different directions.
"And then eventually they said yeah, there's a problem with the ramp, or the winch that operates the ramp, we're going to have to go back into Wellington to try and fix it, which was weird because I don't know why they would be testing the ramp and the winch in open water."
Clarke said there were eight cabins available for people onboard, so most were sleeping in the kitchen or on a recliner.
"But nobody got much sleep, because we kept getting announcements every couple of hours telling us about a lack of progress," she said.
"Nobody was able to go down to their cars to get stuff, so you know, kind of slept in shorts and it was pretty cold. And people who had dogs couldn't go down and see their dogs until the morning either."
She praised staff onboard, who put on a free breakfast for passengers, and was relieved there would be an extra sailing on the Livia at 2am tomorrow to accommodate the backlog.
RV passenger says he's now stranded
Greg Brunton was supposed to be on the Friday afternoon sailing out of Picton, but received an email at 1am saying that it was cancelled.
Brunton, who is travelling in his RV, said he was unable to get a booking until next month.
"I was told that this is, basically the short of it, not their problem. Their responsibility ends at advising us that the ferry has now been cancelled, and it's now my responsibility to find my next way home, essentially stranding us."
Brunton was travelling with a guest visiting from the United States, who had flights to catch. He said they could drive down to Christchurch and fly out, but that still left the question of what to do with the RV.
"I am essentially in the middle of transit in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar accommodation, and their solution is basically to say 'not our problem' and deal with it for a month.
"No one would come down here willingly, not knowing their time of return."
