Port of Napier bets on return of international cruise ships as 6 Wharf expansion draws to a close

The Port of Napier Managing Director said he expects cruise ships to return to Napier later this year, just in time for the opening of the port’s new 350m-long quay.

6 Wharf is a
The $ 190 million port expansion, which is paid for by a port listing on the NZX, with the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council selling 49% of its stake in the port in the process.

6 Wharf will accommodate the larger ships arriving in New Zealand, including Oasis Class cruise liners, as well as the growing number of ships entering Napier.

The wharf is slated to open in the second half of 2022 and the Port of Napier schedule is already making room for expected international cruise ships.

This despite the fact that the maritime borders remain closed to them due to the government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

The Port of Napier schedule at this point has 26 international cruise ships booked from October 12 to January 3.

New Zealand’s borders remain closed to cruise ships until further notice and if this continues, reservations will be canceled or postponed indefinitely.

But the Port of Napier is confident the government will reopen maritime borders to the cruise industry this year.

CEO Todd Dawson has said he expects to see international borders reopen and a return of cruise ships to Napier in the summer of 2022/2023.

“The cruise industry is a significant economic contributor to our region, and the Port of Napier looks forward to its safe return,” said Dawson.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the return of cruise ships would be welcomed by many townspeople as they were part of Napier’s economy and had a strong ripple effect on businesses here .

“There will be necessary restrictions in place to respond to Covid, as is the case with other parts of our community right now,” Wise said.

“We need to get back on track as an economy and as a community, but we need to do it with care and caution to protect the health and well-being of people,” she added.

Public safety will be on the minds of many at Hawke’s Bay, given that the last cruise ship to dock in the port was the Ruby Princess, in March 2020.

Passengers on the ship infected with Covid-19 introduced the disease to the community of Hawke’s Bay, with 25 people infected in the wider region.

The cruise ship, which then sailed directly to Australia as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tightened the border, launched a mega-cluster after sick passengers were disembarked from the ship in Sydney.

In Napier, a Hawke’s Bay tour guide in contact with the ship was infected and unknowingly transmitted Covid to an elderly relative at Gladys Mary Rest Home, where four other residents also caught it.

A spokeswoman for the Port of Napier said security was the top priority and that opening sea borders depended on the Department of Health agreeing to a standard protocol with Maritime New Zealand and all regional health boards districts.

There would also be lengthy conversations with all New Zealand ports on how the cruise industry would restart and what minimum health requirements would be put in place as a condition of entry, she said. .

She added that 6 Wharf would not be just for cruise ships and could be a much-needed boost to Hawke’s Bay’s economy as the area begins to move towards normalcy.