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What’s Happening At Viking Orion, The Cruise Ship With Australia & New Zealand Passengers Stranded In It?

by Shreya Ghosh
What’s Happening At Viking Orion, The Cruise Ship With Australia & New Zealand Passengers Stranded In It?

2023 did not start well for Viking Orion and the passengers on the luxury cruise. Unfortunately, the New Year cruise is stranded on board with over hundreds of passengers from Australia and New Zealand. The reason behind such a situation is the marine growth on the hull of the cruise. And now authorities are not allowing them to dock the cruise. It can be harmful and bring encroaching kinds of habitats with it.

Why Is This Happening At The Stranded Viking Orion?

Viking Orion
Picture credit- Wikimedia Commons

Biofoul is a buildup of algae, microorganisms, and small plants. Authorities found this biofoul on the ship and now they are not giving permission to dock it. According to a report by BBC, the authorities did not allow the Viking Orion to dock in New Zealand’s Christchurch and Dunedin and Tasmania’s Hobart. The Australian fisheries department shared that divers cleaned the biofoul when the Viking Orion was anchoring in the international water, outside the Australian water. The divers had to clean the growth off Adelaide as it could have harmed Australia’s waters.

Also read: We Stayed Inside A Luxury Cruise In Vietnam’s Halong Bay And Explored Magical Caves   

All You Need To Know About The Cruise:

  • Viking Orion is a nine-deck cruise ship.
  • It was constructed back in the year 2018.
  • The luxury ship includes lots of fun activities and experiences such as a pool, a spa, a sports deck, and a theatre as well.
  • The ship left for the journey with hundreds of passengers on 23 December from Auckland.
  • The cruise missed a few stops because of cleaning purposes.

Also read: Have A Vacation Like No Other To India’s Picturesque Destinations With Cordelia Cruises

The passengers are exhausted and frustrated with the delays and being stranded in the waters. While they were supposed to be back way earlier, they need to spend extra days on the ship because of the biofoul and the marine growth found on the hull of Viking Orion. Passengers are taking to social media to vent their anger about such a miserable situation. They spent a lot of money on this journey but could not experience the most-anticipated excursions at the ports. Most people are keeping themselves busy with whatever they are getting at the cruise and making the most out of it.

Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons