Auckland to accommodate larger ships

LARGE cruise ships calling into Auckland will be able to call into Queens Wharf following the Auckland Council giving the development of two outer dolphin mooring structures the green light.

The dolphin mooring structures will be available for the 2019/20 cruise season and allow ships over 300m to berth - such as the 348m-long Ovation of the Seas.

Following an independent study, Auckland Council decided to use outer dolphins located between 80 and 85 metres off the northern edge of Queens wharf, connected by a walkway.

They will also allow larger ships to berth to the east of Queens Wharf and cruise ships to berth on the west of the wharf.

The assessments also recommended “future proofing cruise infrastructure for future growth in accommodating the new Oasis class cruise ships of 362 metre long cruise ships expected to visit Auckland in five to 10 years”.

The move is part of a phased solution to cruise infrastructure which the council said “may eventually see Captain Cook wharf used as a cruise ship terminal and will support the growing cruise industry and its importance to Auckland’s economy”.

The estimated cost of the outer dolphins is $10 million and Ports of Auckland Limited will recover the capital cost over time through cruise ship passenger levies it imposes and collects.

Currently Ovation of the Seas is required to drop anchor in Auckland harbour and tender its 4,000 passengers to land, a move Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) chief exec Chris Roberts told CW in May was “not a sustainable solution” ( CW 11 May).