Cruise ship waiting on permission to run voyage around NZ

A LUXURY cruise with $75,000 cabins is set to pump millions of dollars into local businesses and the tourism sector, but it may stay in dock due to a ‘‘frustrating’’ wait for permission from the Ministry of Health.

The first planned voyage of Le Laperouse is scheduled to leave Dunedin on January 30 and travel to Auckland with 180 passengers on board.

Cabins range from $15,000 to the $75,000, and the first cruise is sold out.

While the vessel and crew — who would all complete mandatory isolation — were from offshore, all food and beverages would be bought in New Zealand.

At least 400 people have been booked on subsequent voyages.

Sarah Clarke, of Christchurch travel company Holland Clarke & Beatson, said their fares alone would bring in $2.5 million to a struggling travel sector.

‘‘We have also committed to spending $100,000 in Auckland on arrival on ship repairs,’’ she said.

‘‘And there will be a huge amount of spending that will go on at the ports along the way, too.

‘‘It’s set to generate a lot of money — we’ve been working for months, and everything is all systems go, but the Ministry of Health is not signing off and we need an answer really soon because the clock is seriously about to stop.

‘‘What is now required is an exemption from the Ministry Of Health under the Maritime Border Order 2020.’’

Ms Clarke said an identical exemption was granted to Heritage Expeditions — which worked alongside her company and Wild Earth on their parallel application — to bring the Spirit of Enderby into New Zealand.

It was now on its third voyage of the summer.

‘‘[French cruise ship operator and owner of the vessels] Ponant have been working closely with MoH and have confirmed will be following all procedures and protocols to ensure that the vessel and crew is Covidfree,’’ she said.

A Ministry of Health spokesman said Ponant previously submitted an application for an exemption for Le Laperouse, which was declined because it did not meet the requirements of either of the two categories of the Maritime Border Order — delivering the ship to a business, and carrying out a refit or refurbishment of, or a repair to, the ship that is more than minor.

‘‘Ponant submitted a further application, including new information which is currently under assessment.’’

A response was expected before Christmas.

‘‘The Ministry of Health has been directly in touch with both Ponant and Heritage Expeditions/Wild Earth Travel consistently since the first applications were received.

‘‘It is a privilege to get an exemption, not a right,’’ a spokesman said.

Staffing of the vessel was a separate issue they said.

Immigration NZ would decide on visas for crew the operator might wish to bring in.

Any such crew would need to go into managed isolation and quarantine for 14 days. — The New Zealand Herald