WELLINGTON: A cruise liner capable of carrying of 4900 passengers and 1300 crew may never make it to New Zealand because Ports of Auckland is too small, a lobby group says.A maiden visit to New Zealand next year by Ovation of the Seas was announced two weeks ago.
Cruise New Zealand says it may not happen because Ports of Auckland is not being allowed to fully pursue plans to extend its Bledisloe Wharf.
The ship would be the largest cruise liner ever to visit New Zealand, at a length of 348m, Cruise New Zealand chairman Kevin O’Sullivan says.The number of people it’s capable of carrying is the equivalent of 12 Airbus A380s arriving at the same time, he says.
If the ship can’t call at Auckland, it’s unlikely to come to New Zealand at all, he says.A port of Auckland has reached a compromise deal with Auckland Council to build one of two proposed wharf extensions at Bledisloe Wharf after its plans sparked protests.
The port is owned by the council’s commercial arm and a review of the port’s long-term future is underway.The port occupies 61.6ha of land, excluding wharves, in central Auckland, which an economist has estimated is worth $2.2 billion.
The situation at Ports of Auckland will potentially harm the growth of the cruise sector for several years, Mr O’Sullivan says.Cruise New Zealand has been warning that ever-bigger cruise ships want to come to New Zealand.”We now face immense harm to our economy if we’re unable to deliver a positive big ship experience,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
