A number of cruise ships have been turned away from New Zealand waters recently because of marine life clinging to the ships’ hulls, potentially bringing unwanted invasive species into delicate environments.
Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth was the most recent of four turned away in the past two weeks, barred until they comply with clean-up orders. Passengers on Queen Elizabeth were reported angered by Cunard’s substitution of two ‘sea days’ instead of a visit to New Zealand’s fjord lands.
The concern is over biofouling—high-risk organisms like mussels, oysters, foliose algae, hydroids, tunicates, sponges, crabs and starfish stuck onto the hull—which accounts for 90 per cent of marine pests arriving in New Zealand waters.
One ship, Coral Princess, encrusted with snails, was able to enter New Zealand waters after a cleaning stop 77 miles at sea. New Zealand officials blamed Cunard’s problem on the cruise line, saying that during Queen Elizabeth’s port visits in December the company was warned to clean up its act.
