A union is raising concerns for the welfare of foreign crew aboard a former Cook Strait ferry, who have been stuck off the coast of Nelson for almost two months.

The ship now called Vega, which was formerly the Interisland ferry Aratere, is sitting at anchor in Tasman Bay, where it has been for more than 50 days, the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) says. It is understood to be awaiting transit to a ship-breaking yard.

The union said it had received reports about the wellbeing of crew members.

Contracts obtained by the union confirmed the ship was now registered to Jahaj Solutions (F.Z.E), based in the United Arab Emirates.

MUNZ national secretary Carl Findlay said, “This vessel was once the flagship of New Zealand’s ferry fleet. It is now sitting off our coast with a foreign crew who are cut off from shore, and on contracts that pay well below International Labour Organisation [ILO] minimum standards.”

The Aratere ran aground in 2024.

Crew agreements seen by the union reportedly showed that an able seaman on board was being paid a basic wage of US$206 (NZ$340) a month. This would be below the ILO minimum for an able seafarer, which rose to US$690 (NZ$1140) a month at the start of January.

Even with overtime and allowances included, the total monthly pay for an able seaman on the Vega was only US$550 (NZ$907), still below accepted international minimums, the documents reportedly showed.

“The crew have now been onboard with the ship at anchor for nearly two months with no sign of progress,” Findlay said.

While the ship’s agents and master said the crew were in good health and that provisions were being supplied, Findlay said there needed to be independent verification.

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MUNZ is calling on regulator Maritime NZ to conduct an immediate, independent welfare check on all Vega crew members to ensure they are safe, paid correctly, and have the option of being repatriated if they wish to leave the ship.

Maritime NZ told the Herald it took the welfare of seafarers “extremely seriously”.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will take any action necessary to ensure compliance with all applicable international and domestic maritime regulations.

“We understand from the vessel’s master and agent that the crew are adequately provisioned and are doing well.

“We are making general inquiries with the crew and relevant authorities regarding their wellbeing and will continue to monitor the situation.”

The Aratere on its final Cook Strait crossing after 26 years of service. Photo / Brendan O'Hagan

The Aratere was retired from Interislander’s fleet last year after operating on Cook Strait for 26 years.

Interislander executive general manager Duncan Roy said in October that KiwiRail had “entered into an agreement to sell the aged and out-of-service Interislander ferry Aratere to a buyer which will deliver it to a specialist recycling shipyard in India”.

The Herald first reported in August that state-owned KiwiRail would probably struggle to find a buyer for the Aratere, after an April briefing to Rail Minister Winston Peters advised that there would be “negligible international interest”.

Pilloried as “El Lemon” during its accident-prone 26 years of crossing Cook Strait, the Aratere became infamous for a variety of incidents.

Most recently, it made a premature waypoint turn out of Picton, running aground on June 21, 2024.