The Viking Orion cruise ship has been forced to remain on the high seas between Australia and New Zealand for about a week after the vessel, which was found to have “biological contamination” on its hull, was refused permission to dock at the Port of Adelaide.
According to Express.co.uk, hundreds of passengers on board the 930-person ship were stranded about 12 nautical miles off the coast outside Australian waters in the Tasman Sea. Local officials ruled that the vessel must be cleaned before re-entering the country’s ports.
According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, “biofouling” refers to the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals. Despite their natural origin, they are potentially dangerous because they can contribute to the spread of invasive species, which the International Maritime Organization has recognized as a “serious threat to the world’s oceans and the preservation of biodiversity.”
Australian officials explained that “biofouling” controls are standard practice for all incoming vessels and that the Viking Orion underwent some cleaning measures to remove the substance, which was first detected in “small amounts” on Wednesday, December 28.
Vessel tracking website Vessel Finder has revealed that the Viking Orion cruise ship has not docked since it left the port of Wellington, New Zealand on Monday, December 26, with several ports refusing to accept it at once.
At the moment, the liner has continued on its way, but passengers are expected to be able to leave the ship only after it arrives in Sydney on January 4. Thus, tourists will be forced to spend a week and a half on board. At the same time, they will not be able to disembark at any of the stops planned on the route.
Passengers of the Viking Orion liner have already nicknamed this New Year’s cruise the “Hell Voyage” on social networks. Tourists are upset that their New Year’s plans were completely ruined and they were left without the long-awaited impressions. Even the prospect of compensation does not please them, because many have used their vacation for travel and will no longer be able to go on a new cruise if it is offered as compensation.
At the same time, it is noted that this is not the only cruise liner that has encountered a problem. The same fate befell the Coral Princess liner, which was traveling in the waters around New Zealand, after discovering snails on its hull, which is not characteristic of the area. As a result, the passengers missed part of their route, but still returned home on time.
As reported by DIP, cruise liners stopped working due to the coronavirus pandemic after a number of cases of mass infection on board. At that time, several liners were refused admission from the ports of different countries. As a result, tourists were trapped for weeks. In 2022, cruise companies began to resume flights.