cruise ship stranded off australia

Passengers to be compensated after cruise ship denied entry to Australian, NZ ports due to 'marine growth' on hull

Topic: Travel Health and Safety

The Viking Orion cruise liner docked in the Port of Melbourne in 2020. ( ABC News: Rachel Clayton )

Hundreds of passengers on a cruise ship arriving at the Port of Melbourne on Monday evening are expected to set foot on dry land for the first time in more than a week after a build-up of marine creatures and plants was cleaned off its hull.

Key points:

• The Viking Orion was due to dock in Christchurch, Dunedin, Hobart and Adelaide after departing Wellington
• It was denied permission due to a build-up of "biofoul" on its hull, with passengers stuck on board
• The vessel pulled into the Port of Melbourne on Monday evening after being cleaned by divers off the SA coast

The Viking Orion, a 227-metre cruise ship which can carry up to 930 passengers, was cleaned by divers on Sunday about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) off the coast of the South Australian town of Victor Harbor.

The luxury vessel, which is only four years old, hadn't docked since casting off from Wellington in New Zealand on Boxing Day, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.com .

It was reportedly denied permission to dock in Christchurch, Dunedin and Hobart before setting course for Adelaide.

Before it could arrive there, Australia's National Maritime Coordination Centre established that the ship had small amounts of biofoul — marine microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals — on its hull.

Authorities then ordered the Viking Orion's agent to have its hull cleaned before entering Australian waters.

"The vessel is required to undergo hull cleaning to remove the biofoul and prevent potentially harmful marine organisms being transported by the vessel," the federal fisheries department said in a statement over the weekend.

The Viking Orion is a 227-metre cruise ship which can carry up to 930 passengers. ( AFP: William West )

"Professional divers were engaged directly by the vessel line/agent to clean the hull while at anchor outside Australian waters.

"The management of biofoul is a common practice for all arriving international vessels."

Passengers on board the ship have been airing their complaints on social media over the course of the voyage, with one writing on Twitter: "After 2 years of waiting, Viking disappoints. Great food but poor ship hygiene. Buyer beware."

"I have cried repeatedly for both the significant financial hit after saving for 2 years and the loss of memories and experiences with my dad," wrote another.

The ship's master, Marko Snajdar, wrote a letter to passengers on Friday apologising for the situation.

"We acknowledge that the current cruise falls short of your expectations," he wrote.

"Viking is interested in keeping you as lifetime travellers, and we hope to see you under less exceptional circumstances on one of our ships in the future."

A Viking representative said the company was "working directly with guests on compensation for the impact to their voyage".

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Cruise passengers stranded off australia coast over ‘marine growth’.

It was a hull of a cruise.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded on a Viking cruise ship off the Australian coast for a week after a potentially harmful growth was found on its hull.

The Viking Orion was denied permission to dock in Adelaide due to the “biofoul,” an accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae or small animals, the BBC reported .

The Australian Fisheries Department said the 745-foot-long ship, which can carry up to 930 passengers, had to be cleaned to prevent “harmful marine organisms” from infiltrating the country.

“Professional divers were engaged directly by the vessel line/agent to clean the hull while at anchor outside Australian waters,” the agency said.

The Orion was also reportedly denied permission to dock at Christchurch and Dunedin in New Zealand and Hobart, Tasmania, according to the BBC.

The vessel had not made a stop since it left Wellington in New Zealand on Boxing Day, according to ship tracking website VesselFinder.com.

Passengers fumed that their cruise was ruined because of the four canceled stops.

Kenn Heydrick said no one had been able to leave the ship since Dec. 26.

“The intensity of frustration and anger is growing among passengers,” he said. “The majority of passengers are trying to make the best of things and enjoy extended time at sea. But it is the excursions at four ports that we were looking forward to, and now are greatly missed.”

He slammed the company on Twitter.

“A dirty & biohazard ship bottom. After 2 years of waiting, Viking disappoints. Great food but poor ship hygiene. Buyer beware,” Heydrick wrote .

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On Monday, he said in another tweet that the ship finally docked in Melbourne.

“Sad for missing excursions. #CruiseCalamity  @VikingCruises,” Heydrick wrote .

But fellow traveler Matt Roberts said the passengers were notified that they would only be allowed off the ship briefly, to be checked by immigration.

The next chance for them to disembark will be on Wednesday in Sydney, according to the BBC.

Roberts said the disruption was a shame “because for many travelers, this might be their last opportunity to see this part of the world.”

The vessel reportedly dropped anchor about 17 miles off the coast for the hull to be cleaned.

In a statement, the company admitted that a “limited amount of standard marine growth” was being cleaned after causing the Orion to “miss several stops on this itinerary.”

It added: “Viking is working directly with guests on compensation for the impact to their voyage.”

In a letter, the captain apologized that “the current cruise falls short of your expectations” and said passengers would be provided with an “adjusted offer of compensation” for the inconvenience.

Cruise passengers spent New Year's stranded after their ship was rejected by 4 ports because of 'marine growth' on its hull

• Passengers were left stranded on New Year's Eve due to marine growth that stopped ship from docking.
• The Viking Orion cruise ship was turned away from 4 ports and had to get its hull cleaned.
• One passenger described the journey as a "trip from hell" and another said "people are livid."

Passengers have hit out at Viking Cruises after they were left stranded off the coast of Australia on New Year's Eve,  the result of "marine growth" on one of its ship that left ports refusing the vessel access.

Since setting sail on Boxing Day, the ship has been rejected from four ports, including Christchurch, Dunedin and Hobart, because of the growth, according to the Australian Associated Press .

The vessel had accumulated algae, plants, microorganisms or small animals, known as biofoul, on its exterior, according to Australia's National Maritime Coordination Centre, which ordered it to be removed before it was allowed into Australian waters, per the report.

The ship ultimately headed to Adelaide to get its hull cleaned, and is expected to finally arrive in Melbourne on Monday.

One passenger on the cruise wrote on Twitter that people were "livid" and added it had been a "horrible journey" as a result of spending a day "sitting at sea where 2 boats are cleaning the ship hull."

He added: "Our @VikingCruises trip to NZ & Australia missed 4 of 8 ports b/c of dirty/biohazard ship hull. 800 people, mainly Americans, are upset and angry over negligence. Viking Orion. Disappointing after 2 years of waiting,  anticipation, & $$$$. Help please."

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Another passenger tweeted that it had been a "trip from hell."

"It's been the most surreal and enraging experience. I guessed this morning before they announced it that we'd be missing yet another port. Now, I just want to get off this ship and go home," she said.

Viking said in a statement that the small amount of "standard marine growth" was being removed on Sunday, and that it was working directly with guests on compensation.

Marko Snajdar, the ship's captain, reportedly apologized to passengers and said the company would contact them with a compensation offer. Viking Cruises did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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Cruise ship stranded thanks to marine growth

Australian officials say the ship’s hull must be cleaned before docking, article bookmarked.

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A cruise ship carrying hundreds of passengers has been stranded off the coast of Australia due to potentially “harmful” marine growth on the vessel’s hull.

The Viking Orion was due to dock in Adelaide before being denied permission after authorities found potentially harmful organisms – known as “biofoul” – accumulating on the ship’s hull.

Authorities from the Australian Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said in a statement “The management of biofoul is a common practice for all arriving international vessels.

“To protect the marine ecosystems within Australian waters the vessel is required to undergo hull cleaning to remove the biofoul and prevent potentially harmful marine organisms being transported.”

“Professional divers were engaged directly by the vessel line/agent to clean the hull while at anchor outside Australian waters.”

The ship hasn’t docked since leaving the New Zealand capital Wellington on Boxing Day.

In a statement sent to passengers, the cruise operator Viking said “While the ship needed to miss several stops on this itinerary in order for the required cleaning to be conducted, she is expected to sail for Melbourne as planned on January 1, and we are expecting the scheduled itinerary to resume completely by January 2.”

The ship was also reportedly refused permission to dock in Christchurch, New Zealand, and in Hobart, Tasmania, according to website Vessel Tracker.

Passengers on the cruise ship complained of a ‘holiday from hell’ with the vessel not being able to dock in half of its expected port cities.

One passenger, John Davidson, told Australian 10 News First: “We have been told we will be compensated. Currently, it’s 50 percent but we think that offer is going to be improved going forward.”

Another passenger said on Twitter that “We are enjoying a happy cruise but are sorry for the Americans who came so far to be denied several ports of interest in NZ and Australia.

“Onboard everything is normal and Viking has offered at least a 50% credit/refund.”

Viking, the ship’s operator, was one of the first in the cruise industry to withdraw all planned voyages in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In their statement, Viking told passengers “Viking is working directly with guests on compensation for the impact to their voyage.”

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New Year cruise stranded off Australia over hull ‘marine growth’

Passengers stranded on board for a week as divers remove ‘biofoul’ – an accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae or small animals.

Passengers on a luxury New Year’s cruise around New Zealand and Australia have reportedly been stranded on board for a week because of a “marine growth” on the ship’s hull.

Divers had to remove the “biofoul” – an accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae or small animals – from the 930-berth Viking Orion while it was anchored in international waters, the Australian government said.

The cleaning was required to protect Australia’s waters from “potentially harmful marine organisms”, the fisheries department said in a statement sent to the AFP news agency.

The nine-deck Viking Orion, built in 2018 with a spa, theatre, sports deck and pool, left Auckland on December 23, according to the tracking website vesselfinder.com.

But the cruise ship had made no port calls since leaving the New Zealand capital, Wellington, on December 26, the tracker said, apparently missing scheduled stops in Christchurch, Dunedin and the Tasmanian state capital of Hobart.

After being cleaned in international waters off the South Australian state capital Adelaide, the Viking Orion was finally expected to arrive in Melbourne later on Tuesday, the company and the Australian government said.

Viking confirmed it had to remove “a limited amount of standard marine growth” from the hull.

“While the ship needed to miss several stops on this itinerary in order for the required cleaning to be conducted, she is expected to resume the current itinerary,” Viking said in a statement sent to AFP.

“Viking is working directly with guests on compensation for the impact to their voyage,” the company said, declining to give further details.