Flood debris cuts southern cruises

Cruise ship visits to Milford Sound have been cancelled because floating debris brought down by the recent storm is a navigation hazard.

So far six ships carrying almost 12,000 passengers have had to bypass the sound which is a highlight for cruises around New Zealand. Southland deputy harbour master Ian Coard said cruises were stopped from entering Milford Sound a week ago because of the large amount of debris in the water.

‘‘It rained for so long and all those trees came down from the valley sides.’’ Coard said there was the added issue of getting pilots out to the cruise ships and a call on when to reopen the sound to cruises would probably be made tomorrow.

‘‘[The decision] is not made lightly because we get a bit of pressure from the cruise companies because they get pressure for not delivering what they said.’’

NZ Cruise Association president Kevin O’Sullivan said the Noordam made an unscheduled stop at Stewart Island instead of going to Milford

Sound but the other vessels missed out. ‘‘It is disappointing because it is one of the big selling points for cruises around New Zealand.’’

O’Sullivan said that at times up to 200 cruise passengers disembarked at Milford for trips through to Queenstown but road closures had made that impossible.

The weather disruptions are a further blow for Milford businesses already hurting from travel restrictions on the Chinese market as a result of the coronavirus.

Wayfare chief executive Richard Lauder said logs in the water were making cruising hazardous but its vessels were not operating in Milford because the terminal and surrounding area were being assessed and cleaned up after the flooding.

‘‘To date we have had about 6000 cancellations due to coronavirus, and the industry as a whole is losing revenue from 3000 to 4000 people per day who would normally be visiting Milford Sound at this time of year.’’

Wayfare companies Real Journeys and Go Orange were still operating in Doubtful Sound and had increased both day and overnight cruises there.

Cruise ships are also covered by the border closures introduced to prevent spread of the coronavirus, O’Sullivan said, but it was not yet clear how many passengers would be prevented from boarding.

‘‘The bulk of passengers coming to New Zealand are Australian; there is a smattering of Chinese people but it is reasonably low.’’

He said two Chinese passengers who were on their way to New Zealand when the travel restrictions kicked in had not joined their cruise in Auckland. ‘‘I believe it was a voluntary decision not to board.’’

The Ministry of Health has also warned cargo vessels coming from mainland China about coronavirus quarantine measures. If a voyage is less than 14 days, crew will have to remain on board and forgo shore leave. They will also have to wear personal protection gear such as masks when interacting with border control and port staff.

Six ships carrying almost 12,000 passengers have had to bypass Milford Sound.