The ship was unable to make any of the scheduled stops between December 26 and January 2.
What is this mysterious fungus blocking a cruise ship in international waters between New Zealand and Australia? Since the Viking Orion left Wellington on Boxing Day, no stopover has been possible for the hundreds of passengers on board who, despite the many facilities to keep them entertained, are slowly finding the time. The development of marine growth under the hull of the liner is a possibility.
The cruise left Auckland for the country’s capital on December 23, but in Wellington the ship was refused permission to call at Christchurch, Dunedin and Hobart to have its hull cleaned before heading to Adelaide, the newspaper reports The Guardians.
The diagnosis was carried out by the Australian National Maritime Coordination Centre, which identified ‘biofouling’, a range of marine microorganisms, plants, algae or small animals that have accumulated on the hull. Authorities have ordered the Viking Orion’s hull to be cleaned before entering Australian waters to avoid any risk of contamination and spread.
If the operation is usual, it was obviously not performed prior to departure. The divers had to clean the hull at anchor outside of territorial waters. The ship was able to resume its voyage on Monday and reached the port of Melbourne in Australia.
shame about @VikingCruises for their negligence. They have now canceled 3 of our 8 ports including all prime ports in southern New Zealand and Hobart. A dirty and biologically hazardous ship bottom. After 2 years of waiting, Viking disappoints. Great food but poor ship hygiene. Attention buyers. pic.twitter.com/Oc284Ca0Sy
— Kenn Heydrick, EdD (@KHeydrick) December 26, 2022
Enough to piss off cruise ship passengers. One tweeted: “I have cried many times both from the significant financial hit after two years of saving and the loss of memories and experiences with my father.”
The ship’s captain, Marko Snajdar, wrote a letter to passengers on Friday apologizing for the situation: “We recognize that the current cruise has not met your expectations,” he wrote, noting that they compensation would be offered.