TasPorts announced that two international cruise ships scheduled to call at Port Burnie (Tasmania Australia) last week had bypassed/canceled their visits.
According to the Tasmanian port operator, it was informed by shipping agents that cruise ships Seven Seas Explorer and Regatta had canceled their visits to Burnie on January 22nd and January 20th, respectively.
TasPorts revealed both companies had made the decision to cancel.
Seven Seas Explorer is operated by RSSC-Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Regatta is operated by Oceania Cruises. Both companies are fully owned subsidiaries of NCLH-Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
The official FB page of Burnie City Council suggested there had been some confusion about the reasons for the cancelations.
Anthony Donald (TasPorts CEO) said that different factors could influence scheduled cruise ship calls and lead to itinerary changes/cancellation of a port visit.
“Factors which can influence cancellations include adverse weather conditions, and while unfortunate, these decisions are not taken lightly and TasPorts’ obligations will always be to marine safety, protection of infrastructure assets and the environment.”
So far this season, TasPorts has handled 77 cruise ship calls to Tasmanian ports, with 80 more booked berthings scheduled across the remainder of the 2022-2023 season.
“These numbers signify a strong rebound to pre-Covid levels, which is incredibly pleasing and confirms the attractiveness of Tasmania as a destination with significant economic benefits flowing on for the state.”