Kea (ferry)

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Kea crossing the Waitemata Harbour
Career
Namesake:	Kea
Commissioned:	1988
Homeport:	Auckland
General characteristics
Class and type:	Commercial Passenger Ferry
Displacement:	341 tons [1]
Length:	27.06 metres
Speed:	15 knots
Complement:	400 passengers, 2 crew

M.V. Kea (sometimes called the Seabus Kea) is a commercial passenger ferry that operates the busy Devonport-Downtown Auckland express route for Fullers Ferries (Auckland's largest ferry operator). The Kea operates a regular service departing from Downtown Auckland every half hour. ^[2]

The Kea was purpose-built in Whangarei^{[citation needed]} for Fullers, and entered service in 1988 as the 14th ferry of the company. ^[3]

The Kea can carry approximately 400 passengers on her two passenger decks^{[citation needed]}, while 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.^[4]

Fullers would also prefer to commission a second ferry for the Devonport service. However (as of 2007) the investment of around NZ$ 4.5 million for a duplicate of the Kea is considered too risky.^[5]

In 2006, the Kea was involved in a minor collision at the Auckland Ferry Terminal with the moored Starflyte, due to steering failure. ^[6]

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