Coronavirus travel restrictions: Port of Tauranga to lose 15 cruise ship visits with ban

The Noordam is currently docked at the Port of Tauranga. Photo / File

Port of Tauranga says its revenue will be impacted but not materially by the Government's coronavirus ban on visiting cruise ships as it works with officials and cruise lines to manage the cancellation of the rest of the summer cruise season.

The listed port company said it had been expecting another 15 cruise ships before the end of the season in April and expected these visits to be cancelled. These scheduled calls did not include the Holland America cruise ship the Noordam, which is already tied up at the port for an unprecedented extended visit, but with crew only onboard after a coronavirus-related scheduling change overseas.

The company did not expect job losses from the cancellations with cruise ship-related seasonal staff to be redeployed to other tasks.

The loss of the cruise ships visits would allow the port to more efficiently manage the kiwifruit bulk export season, due to begin on Monday, the company said in a notice on social media.

The Seven Seas Navigator from the Bay of Islands arrived at the port this morning and all passengers were disembarking to return home from Tauranga.

The Ruby Princess and Bremen were to arrive from Napier within the next 24 hours and would complete their itinerary as planned. The ships will leave Tauranga for Auckland tomorrow to disembark their passengers, the port company said.

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Cargo ships and their crews remained subject to strict border controls already in place. The rules are administered by the public health unit of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.

The port company had multiple measures in place to protect the health of port staff, including the provision of protective equipment, cancellation of international travel and ensuring those staff able to work from home can do so if necessary, it said.