DEV Aratere
DEV Aratere in Tory Channel, June 2018 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | DEV Aratere |
| Owner | KiwiRail |
| Operator | Interislander |
| Port of registry | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Route | Wellington to Picton |
| Builder | Hijos de J. Barreras, Spain |
| Cost | NZ$132 million |
| Yard number | 1570 |
| Launched | 8 September 1998 |
| Christened | 1999 |
| Completed | 15 December 1998 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Sailing |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 20.5 m (67 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) |
| Decks | 6 |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | Fixed propellers, each four blades inward turning |
| Speed | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 31 |
DEV Aratere is a roll-on/roll-off rail and vehicle ferry operated by KiwiRail in New Zealand. Built in 1998 for the then-private company Tranz Rail and lengthened in 2011, she operates four daily crossings on the Interislander service across Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton each day (with six crossings over the December/January period).
As of 2024, Aratere is New Zealand's only rail ferry. When the vessel is not available, rail freight between the North and South Islands must be transferred to trucks, driven onto other Cook Strait ferries, and then transferred back to rail after the crossing, with associated additional time and cost. In April 2025, KiwiRail confirmed plans to retire the Aratere by the end of 2025 to make way for ferry support infrastructure in Picton.