Hundreds of passengers aboard the Viking Orion Star cruise ship are experiencing an unpleasant journey to the sea. The cruise ship has not called at any port since it set sail from Wellington, New Zealand, on December 26 because the hull is overgrown with marine appendages, which has caused concern in many countries and regions. As of 2 January, the passengers had been stranded off the coast of Australia for seven days and did not know when they would be able to disembark.
Viking SuperStar Orion Cruise Infographic.
Marine attachments refer to marine organisms attached to man-made structures such as ship hulls, bridges, docks, etc., including microorganisms, plants, algae, and small animals. These organisms may spread to non-native waters as ships move, causing problems with invasive species and causing damage to local ecosystems and economies. As a result, many countries and regions have strict biosedimentation management regulations for international vessels docking, requiring vessels to be cleaned and inspected before entering the waters.
Australia's National Maritime Coordination Centre found a small amount of biofouling on the Viking Orion cruise ship before it arrived in Adelaide, requiring the ship to be cleaned up before it was allowed to dock, AFP reported. This is the fourth rejection of the cruise on this trip, having previously been rejected by ** City in New Zealand, Dunedin and Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. Vessel Tracking**VesselFinder data shows that the cruise ship is still waiting off the coast of Adelaide and does not know when the issue will be resolved.
The passengers on the cruise ship were very unhappy and disappointed with the situation. A passenger named Haydrick told the BBC that they had missed four scheduled ports of call and could not enjoy the excursions. "The frustration and anger of the passengers is growing. Most passengers are trying to make themselves enjoy their time at sea longer, but what we look forward to are short trips in four ports. ”
Viking said in a statement that it was removing a limited number of marine appendages from cruise ships, which caused the ships to miss several stops on their trips. The cruise ship is expected to sail to Melbourne, where it will dock on January 2 local time. However, some passengers said that due to the delay, they had to wait until January 4 to arrive in Sydney before disembarking.