A Viking ship reportedly skipped four ports after sailing from New Zealand on Boxing Day after a build-up of potentially harmful growth was discovered on its hull.
Viking Orion was denied permission to dock in Adelaide after not being able to call into Christchurch and Dunedin in New Zealand and Hobart, Tasmania, following its departure from Wellington.
The 930-passenger ship was cleaned by divers on Sunday about 12 miles off the coast of the South Australia before arriving in Melbourne on January 2 after authorities discovered “biofoul” – an accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae or small animals.
Viking said in a statement to the BBC that a “limited amount of standard marine growth” had been cleared from the ship’s hull.
This had caused the vessel to “miss several stops on this itinerary”.
The company added: “Viking is working directly with guests on compensation for the impact to their voyage.”
Another cruise ship travelling around New Zealand faced a similar situation after the discovery of an infestation of snails
Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess underwent cleaning on December 23, with passengers missing out on part of their itinerary, before the ship went on to dock in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Christmas Day as planned.