New Zealand is considering building a hull cleaning station as cruise traffic plummets 

• The Port of Auckland is considering creating a hull cleaning station for cruise ships.
• This would help cruise lines meet New Zealand’s strict standards for hull cleanliness.
• The strategy could help tackle New Zealand’s falling cruise visitation.

Amidst a steep drop in cruise visitation numbers, New Zealand may have found a solution to a problem that has plagued visiting ships. 

New Zealand’s strict biosecurity laws have proved an obstacle for ships looking to enter the country’s national parks over the last few seasons. But the Port of Auckland is devising a way to meet cruise lines in the middle.

The Port of Auckland revealed to Cruise Passenger that it is in the “very early” stages of trials and research into feasible options to build a hull-cleaning station for cruise ships in the city’s waters.

The port is currently working with a dive company to undertake the first trials and devise how this could work.

This would allow ships to perform their hull cleaning in New Zealand, rather than having to schedule it in another location and work it into the itineraries of the cruise ship. 

Last season, 44 vessels entered New Zealand last and only one vessel required extra cleaning to enter. However, there was speculation that a number of ships actually cancelled prior port calls to New Zealand, in order to perform preemptive cleaning. 

Furthermore, New Zealand’s cruise visitation is drastically down, with the strict requirements being a possible contributing factor for this. 

Therefore, while ships do now know what’s required to be able to enter New Zealand, the strict hull cleaning requirements still appear to be interfering with cruise ship schedules and possibly deterring some cruise lines from scheduling visits in the first place. 

A cleaning station in Auckland could prove a huge relief for cruise ships, who, rather than having to plan hull cleaning into their schedule, could simply perform the procedure while stationed in Auckland, with no disruption to passengers or cruise schedules. 

This could prove a huge boost to the New Zealand cruise industry that has recently revealing its project tough times ahead.

Here’s what the New Zealand cruise industry is facing 

• From 2023/24 to 2025/26 there’s been a 42% decrease in port calls and a projected 40% decrease in unique guests..
• This means between 2023/24 and 2025/26 there is expected to be 145,000 fewer cruise ship visitors, 14 fewer vessels, and almost 700,000 fewer passenger days. 
• The New Zealand Cruise Association highlighted biofouling risks as one of the key reasons for this reduction in cruise visitors. Others included industry uncertainty and increasing costs.

While the hull cleaning station alone wouldn’t be able to tackle problems such as government regulations and rising costs, it would at least go a long way towards knocking down one of the major barriers that cruise ships have been facing when cruising to New Zealand.

The latest on biofouling

As addressed above, biofouling rules prevent more disturbances to cruise ships and passengers than simply turning them away, it is at least a positive trend that fewer ships have been failing to meet the regulations.

Mike Inglis, Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North says the previous season, in which only one ship was required to undergo further cleaning, was a huge success.

“It’s been a great season. Cruise operators continue to prioritise biofouling management. We have been in close contact to make sure they understand and follow New Zealand’s biofouling rules, which are some of the toughest in the world.

“These regulations are about protecting our maritime industries and pristine marine areas, like Fiordland, so people can enjoy them for years to come.”

Inglis highlights that this is a significant decrease from previous seasons, where as many as 11 ships were turned around.

“In the 2022/23 season, following the resumption of international cruise voyages after the pandemic, 11 vessels didn’t meet our standards. Of these, three cleaned their hulls prior to arrival and completed their itineraries. The other eight faced itinerary restrictions.

“In the 2023/24 season, that number dropped to just four. Of these, three completed their planned itineraries after additional cleaning and providing additional information, and one vessel cancelled one voyage due to biofouling but returned fully compliant during the season.

“The results this season show the close working relationship we have established with the cruise industry is really paying off.

“Biofouling is a significant biosecurity risk – about 90 per cent of marine pests hitch a ride into New Zealand on the hulls of international vessels, which could harm our environment, aquaculture industry, and economy.”