Service Updates

After the issues with Wellington in the start of the week there was a surge in volume out of that region last night as businesses returned to work and caught up on the previous two days of little or no activity. Airfreight volumes between Palmerston North and Christchurch in particular were stretched with additional flights and third party operators having to be scheduled. There will be delays to normal overnight delivery standards in to Christchurch for much of this freight as we endeavour to cope with the additional volume.

Inter Island road freight is flowing as albeit with reduced ferry sailings.

Interislander have confirmed that the ferries Kaitaki and Kaiarahi have resumed sailing on a temporary timetable.

Aratere sailings remain suspended due to damage to the Wellington linkspan. At this stage the Aratere is not expected to return to service until next week.

A severe weather watch is in place for the Wellington and Marlborough regions with high swells at this stage predicted for Thursday evening. This has the potential to halt sailings if the conditions dictate.

We are currently achieving connections into Christchurch with north to south bound freight which is allowing us to meet expected timeframes as previously advertised but the same cannot be said for south to north where we are experiencing up to an additional 24-48 hour delays in delivery times.

Another weather system has hit in the lower South Island and we have potential issues in to Invercargill, Queenstown and Central Otago as reports come through of delays due to the weather conditions and flooding in those areas.

It is being widely reported through the news media at present that the freight and transport industry have been hit hard following the events of Monday morning and that trucking costs have escalated considerably with the additional distance, travel time and labour. This will be an ongoing feature of inter island freight movements in the foreseeable future and it is important to note that we are currently considering a surcharge for this service along with other freight suppliers in the market. You will be notified in writing of any potential changes and the timeframe for implementation should this be implemented.

We thank you for your patience and understanding.