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Arahura ferry - Source: Wiki Commons
All passenger sailings on the Interislander ferry Arahura have been cancelled following a close-shave on Monday.
The Cook Strait ferry had a near-miss with a small recreational fishing boat off Karori Light at about 4.30pm.
A deck officer has been routinely stood down on full pay while the incident is investigated.
His standing down means all Arahura passenger sailings have been cancelled until tomorrow.
Thomas Davis, Interislander general manager, said the company now had just less than the 54 deck officers required to run its three ferries.
Davis said there had been a recent run of staff taking sickness and bereavement leave.
While the investigation is carried out, the Arahura will still make freight sailings, as fewer crew members are needed for these.
Meanwhile, the Interislander website states it will not be taking new bookings for sailings from February 26 until February 29.
A spokesperson for the company said the suspension in bookings is required to divert the passengers who were booked to sail on Arahura onto the two remaining operational ships, Aratere and Kaitaki.
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