You may be aware that the InterIsland Ferry between the North and South Islands is due for its bi-annual scheduled dry dock maintenance. This is due to start on the 20th of June, with normal operations scheduled to resume early-mid September.
This dry-dock will result in reduced ferry crossings available to cross the Cook Strait and the InterIslander will operate without a rail-enabled ferry during this extended time. Our carrier Bascik will operate with existing capacity on premium services, to mitigate any delays that may occur in the normal train journey, their cut-off times for freight departing Auckland have been brought forward an hour or two.
The InterIslander has invested heavily in major infrastructure to cope with changes in the way the freight will need to be managed. Bascik Transport has visited both the Wellington and Picton new operational sites and believes the InterIslander will continue to provide the great service you are used to.
We do feel it necessary however to note that if there are issues such as Weather conditions causing the cancellation of ferry crossings, or missed connections, that this may cause a backlog in freight that will take upwards of 24 hours to clear.
SCS ask for your support around dropping orders for the South Island to make sure we receive them as early as possible during the day. We will have a strict cut off time of 4.30PM from all sites until the maintenance project is completed. Bascik Transport has no room to negotiate on this otherwise they will jeopardize other customers.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager to discuss.
Peter Furlong
General Manager
