Kea (ferry)


M.V. Kea is a commercial passenger ferry that operates the busy New Zealand Devonport-Downtown Auckland express route for Fullers Ferries. The Kea operates a regular service departing from Downtown Auckland every half-hour.
The Kea entered service in 1988 as the 14th ferry of the company.
The bridge area forms a third deck. Her distinctive design is similar to earlier Auckland ferries in that she is longitudinally symmetrical, effectively meaning that she can be driven both ways, so that no U-Turns at the starts or finishes of crossings have to be made. This enables the Kea to maintain a half-hourly express service between Downtown Auckland and Devonport.
In 2007, she was removed from the water and given a substantial overhaul in a shipyard in the Western Reclamation, including major work on both engines.
Fullers would also prefer to commission a second ferry for the Devonport service. However the investment of around NZ$ 4.5 million for a duplicate of the Kea is considered too risky.
In 2006, the Kea was involved in a minor collision at the Auckland Ferry Terminal with the moored Starflyte, due to steering failure.
In February 2015, the Kea was again involved in a collision, this time at the Devonport Ferry Terminal, no other vessel was involved.