Three Auckland ferry services indefinitely cancelled due to maritime skills shortage.

Fullers 360, a ferry service in Auckland, has decided to temporarily cancel three ferry services in order to focus on training new deckhands and skippers. The training program is expected to last between 14 and 18 months, during which ferry services at Birkenhead, Te Onewa Northcote Point, and Bayswater will be cancelled indefinitely. However, services at Gulf Harbour and Half Moon Bay will continue with reduced timetables until the training program is complete. Auckland Transport is actively looking for an alternative operator to run the cancelled services.

The decision to cancel these services is due to a shortage of qualified ferry crew, making it difficult to operate the full ferry network while training new crew members. Auckland Transport is considering additional bus services for affected communities, as reliable bus services are already available at a lower cost than ferry fares. Fullers CEO, Mike Horne, stated that the training program will help address the maritime skills shortage on a national level and will result in up to 30 crew members becoming qualified deckhands or skippers.

In other transportation news, Auckland’s bus driver shortage has officially ended, with less than 3% of bus services being cancelled in the last month. Patronage is also increasing, with the highest number of people boarding buses since March.

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